Cubs veteran Chris Gimenez caught off guard by roster decision, vows to be ready

SHARE Cubs veteran Chris Gimenez caught off guard by roster decision, vows to be ready
screen_shot_2018_03_27_at_8_51_56_pm.png

Gimenez

MIAMI — After a 4-2 loss to the Red Sox in their final exhibition game Tuesday, the Cubs take a day off Wednesday before making their roster official ahead of Thursday’s season opener against the Marlins.

With all the roster candidates wrapping up camp healthy, no surprises are expected — at least none since second-year catcher Victor Caratini was awarded the backup-catcher job over veteran backup Chris Gimenez.

RELATED STORIES Cost and effect: Why Jon Lester’s value remains high halfway through megadeal The skinny on what the Cubs’ Kyle Schwarber has to prove this year

“I still think I match up very well with what I need,” said Gimenez, who has the added value of familiarity with new starter Yu Darvish, having been Darvish’s one-time personal catcher with the Rangers.

The Cubs agree with Gimenez. And the move might yet be temporary, depending on how much playing time manager Joe Maddon can find for Caratini, one of the organization’s top 10 prospects, who presumably would benefit from regular at-bats.

“The consensus was that he was ready, and there’s no denying that at all,” Gimenez said. “He deserves a chance, and I think they’re just going to try to see if they can make it work with the amount of at-bats he might potentially or might not be getting.”

Gimenez opens the season at Class AAA Iowa.

Extension talks tabled

As it has done every spring since taking charge, the front office explored contract extensions for some young core players this spring, but it was unable to reach agreements.

“We’ve made it clear that we’d love to extend some of these guys,” general manager Jed Hoyer said. “I won’t go into who we’ve talked to over the course of the spring. But obviously we have a lot of good young players, and we’d love to keep them longer than the six or seven years we control them. And we’ll keep talking to them.”

Nothing appears close, and talks typically go dormant once the season starts.

This and that

Right-hander Cory Mazzoni, a reliever acquired on waivers from the Giants in November, was claimed off waivers by the Dodgers.

• Setup man Pedro Strop made his fourth and final appearance, allowing a two-out double to Mike Olt in a scoreless inning. He’s expected to be on the roster for the opener.

Follow me on Twitter @GDubCub.

Email: gwittenmyer@suntimes.com

The Latest
Busch found an unconventional way to score in the Cubs’ loss to the Rangers.
The acquisition of Tamarack Farms makes Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge a more impactful destination and creates within Hackmatack a major macrosite for conservation.
The man was found unresponsive in an alley in the 10700 block of South Lowe Avenue, police said.
The man suffered head trauma and was pronounced dead at University of Chicago Medical Center, police said.
Another federal judge in Chicago who also has dismissed gun cases based on the same Supreme Court ruling says the high court’s decision in what’s known as the Bruen case will “inevitably lead to more gun violence, more dead citizens and more devastated communities.”