MARCH 18: The Cubs announced that Alzolay is going on the 60-day injured list. The move clears 40-man roster for Seiya Suzuki.
MARCH 14: Cubs righty Adbert Alzolay, who had been penciled into a rotation spot for 2022, will start the season on the IL due to shoulder tightness, Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer told reporters today. Hoyer noted that it will not be a short stint on the IL. Unsurprisingly, then, Hoyer said the club is interested in adding more pitching. Overall, Hoyer said, “Certainly we’re going to add a lot more players.”
At present, the Cubs’ rotation projects as Marcus Stroman, Kyle Hendricks, Wade Miley, Alec Mills, and Justin Steele. All of the top free agent starting pitchers are off the board already, but plenty of back of the rotation hurlers remain available. Alzolay made 21 starts for the Cubs in 2021, posting a 5.16 ERA in that role.
Ian Happ, set to start the season as the Cubs’ regular left fielder, had a “clean out” elbow procedure in the offseason but is expected to be 100% soon, Hoyer told reporters.
The Cubs recently added shortstop Andrelton Simmons, and Hoyer commented, “We’re happy with our middle infield.” Nick Madrigal and Nico Hoerner will also figure prominently into that mix.
Non-competitive roster.
As always, we await developments.
Can’t stand Yellon he is such a homer. But Hoyer’s comment should finally stop the rumors about Correa coming g to Chicago. It was never going to happen.
Here’s the Cubs roster I’d piece together between now and opening day. Only significant signing would be Rizzo. Otherwise a lot of small pieces: McCutchen, one of Pineda or Cueto and then several bullpen pieces.
C – Contreras/Gomes
1B – Rizzo/Schwindel
2B – Madrigal/Hoerner
SS – Simmons/Hoerner
3B – Wisdom/Hoerner/Bote
LF – Frazier/Happ
CF – Ortega/Happ
RF – McCutchen/Heyward
DH – Frazier/Rizzo
SP
Stroman
Hendricks
Miley
Pineda/Cueto
Alzolay/Mills
Bullpen
David Robertson
Richard Rodriguez
Yusmeiro Petit
Tony Watson
Jimmy Nelson
Brad Weick
downsr30:You NEED to scratch Alzolay from your “roster”. His shoulder injury (he’s going to be on the IL for a good while) was the focal point of this article.
I have no idea why you would sign mccutchen when Hermosillo, Ramirez, frazier, and deichman are all out of options. Make no mistake they are rebuilding. Gotta see if you got one everyday guy there. My bet is Hermosillo breaks out.
McCutchen and Rizzo are already signed.
Those posts were from four days ago…
Cubs should be in on Correa
They describe it as shoulder tightness, but it won’t be a short time on the DL.
Well I hate to say, but that is a no sound like “tightness”!
60 day.
Love to see CHC pick Bauer up for pennies on the dollar if LAD drops him.
It is a lat injury. We won’t see him for at least 3 months.
What is the earliest a team has clinched last in the entire MLB?
Cubs have signed nobody in the four days since Hoyer said they had lots of signings to make. Not gonna buy a thing intro he regime. They’re running the club like a small market budget and expecting fans to pay like the have the Dodgers lineup. Pathetic. Wisdom had one good month and both he and Frank are not players to build around. This is the last year Happ has to prove he’s anything above a power swinging strikeout king.