Miguel Amaya was always going to drive a hard bargain.

David Peralta had just signed with the Cubs on a non-roster invitee deal and had approached the Cubs catcher with a proposal — would he make a trade for his no. 6? Peralta has worn the number his whole career and it had sentimental value as he enters the twilight of his time in professional baseball.

“No problem,” Amaya said — but it’d come with a cost. Peralta offered to take him to his favorite store, the designer brand Louis Vuitton.

“It ended up being bien carito — very expensive,” Peralta said in Spanish with a laugh. “It was a suitcase and some shoes. He bought what he wanted it and it was my way of thanking him for making the trade.”

“I told him, ‘You like it expensive!’ But it’s all good.”

But Amaya — being the solid businessman he is — oversold himself; he was more than happy to trade numbers.

“To be honest, 9 has always been my favorite number because it’s my birthday,” Amaya said. “From the first time I wore a uniform in baseball, No. 9 was my jersey number.”

Peralta took Amaya’s first offer, but he could have probably negotiated a better price — only Peralta didn’t ask about Amaya’s preferred number.

“Of course not or else I couldn’t trade,” Amaya said with a hearty laugh. “So, when this comes out, David, I hope when you see me, you won’t regret the trade for numbers.”

The trade might seem lopsided, but both parties ended up happy.

“It’s all good,” Peralta said. “At this point in my career, that number is important because it’s what I had all my career and I hope to end my career with it.”

And Amaya had a memorable experience.

“Good advice, first off, a dinner, [too],” Amaya said of what else he received in the trade. “Good trade. It was worth the pain to make the trade.”

Manager

Craig Counsell — 30

Counsell originally started his career with 4 games in a Colorado Rockies uniform between 1995 and 1997. But then he was traded to the Marlins and during the ’97 season and when he arrived in Florida, he took the advice of the team’s equipment manager.

“The clubhouse staffer — his name was Mike Wallace — said, ‘you play second base. My favorite second baseman was Willie Randolph and he wore No. 30. You’re No. 30.’ And that’s it. I didn’t pick it,” Counsell recalled.

While he may not have had much of a choice initially, Counsell did opt for uniform No. 30 with the Dodgers in 1999 and more than a decade with the Brewers as both a player and manager.

And then of course, he chose No. 30 when he signed a record-setting managerial deal with the Cubs this past offseason.

“That year [1997] went pretty well – we won the World Series. So you just keep it.,” Counsell said, smiling.

Pitchers

Drew Smyly — 11

The lefty had a list to choose from when he rejoined the Cubs ahead of the 2022 season and chose one that had at least some meaning.

“I didn’t, like, seek it out, but I did choose it,” Smyly said last year. “This is the first time I’ve worn 11, so it wasn’t a monumental number for me or anything. I think they gave me a list of 6-7 numbers and I just thought this was best. My daughter was born on the 11th, so 11 sounds cool. I was 33 for a long time and then switched over to 11 so I guess I like the double. It was like 11 or 49 and I was like, I’ll just take 11.”

Shota Imanaga — 18

Following in the footsteps of Seiya Suzuki, Imanaga explained the reasoning behind his uniform selection during his introductory press conference.

While conducting research on the Cubs as an organization during the free agency process, Imanaga felt a connection to Ben Zobrist — the 2016 World Series MVP.

“As I was looking through Chicago Cubs history, I saw that it was the number that Ben Zobrist wore,” Imanaga said at his introductory press conference in January through translator Shingo Murata. “I want to be the player that he was and that is why I chose number 18.”

Yency Almonte — 25

The newest acquisition to the Cubs bullpen is actually one of the lucky ones who got his first choice of uniform number.

Almonte wore 38 with the Dodgers last year but when the Cubs acquired him in a trade in January, Almonte had his wish granted.

“I chose 25 because that was my Little League number growing up,” he said. “I’ve always had it since I started playing baseball. But obviously it’s a popular number.

“Usually it’s a number that position players wear so when I got the opportunity to wear it, I automatically jumped on it.”

But why 25? It was the number his father, Ramón, gave him when he first started playing baseball.

Kyle Hendricks — 28

Throughout the minor leagues, Hendricks always happened to be wearing jerseys in the 20s – 23, 27, 29. In Spring Training of 2014 when he was close to making his MLB debut, the Cubs came to him and asked him jersey options.

“I said anything in the 20s or high 20s,” Hendricks said. “I just showed up to Wrigley when I made my debut and 28 is there, waiting for me. So just rolled with it.”

Even if 28 wasn’t his exact choice, it has become part of Hendricks’ identity as he enters his 11th MLB season.

“If I had the choice and it was available, it would definitely be [28],” Hendricks said. “But if someone else has that number, I’m definitely going to pick something else. That’s not me.

“Here with this organization, the Cubs, it’s definitely become who I am and stuck with me for this whole time.”

Justin Steele — 35

Steele initially wanted a different number on the back of his uniform but understood the significance it holds with Cubs fans.

“21 is my favorite number ever since I was a little kid,” Steele said last year. “It’s been my family number for generations. My great grandfather had it, my grandfather had it, my dad had it, my brother had it and I also wore it. Obviously 21 means something to the city of Chicago — or the Chicago Cubs anyways [as Sammy Sosa’s number]. I just picked a different number. Went with 35, seemed like a decent number for a pitcher. There wasn’t much thought that went into it.”

Jordan Wicks — 36

The rookie southpaw has a simple explanation behind his uniform number:

“It was a number that was available,” he said. “I have a jersey, so that’s good enough for me.”

When he made his debut late last season, Wicks was given a few options for jerseys.

“I think it was like 58 and other numbers I didn’t really care for,” Wicks said. “And then 36. I’ve always been in the 30s. College, I was 33, minors I was 34. Anything in that range, I’m OK with. I’m not real picky.”

Mark Leiter Jr. — 38

Leiter Jr. decided after the 2022 campaign that he wanted to change from 62, a number he didn’t choose. His first choice was 31, but since it’s retired with the Cubs (for Greg Maddux and Fergie Jenkins), he picked from a list of numbers and landed on 38.

“[31] was just the number my dad wore a lot throughout his career,” Leiter Jr. said last year. “I got a chance to wear it in Philly and a number that I was a lot in the minor leagues.”

Luke Little — 43

Little is on his first Opening Day roster after making his debut down the stretch last season and appearing in 7 games.

When he was called up in September, Little didn’t have much of a choice in uniform number.

“It was 43, 51 or 52 when I was coming up,” he said. “So I was like, ‘OK, I’ll take 52.’ [The clubhouse staffer] was like, ‘oh, actually, we don’t have 52.’ I was like, ‘OK, 43 then.'”

Little wore 21, 27 and 30 in the minor leagues coming up through the Cubs’ system. His preferred number is 23 — a number he’s worn since he was a kid — but that’s retired in Chicago in honor of Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg.

If he had a choice, Little would also be in favor of wearing 34 on his back because his favorite player, David Ortiz, wore No. 34.

But that’s a tough number to get in Chicago after a couple of franchise legends Kerry Wood and Jon Lester both donned No. 34 in recent years.

“I’m not gonna get it,” Little said. “They’re not gonna be like, ‘sure, rookie!'”

Jameson Taillon — 50

Before his debut season in Chicago last year, Taillon explained how he chose his number based off one of his favorite pitchers.

“I had a couple options when I got called up and I remember Adam Wainwright wore 50 and I thought it was a good pitcher’s number,” Taillon said. “My Twitter handle had 50 in it. My Instagram handle, [too]. My fiance had a bunch of merch with 50 on it and stuff. So I feel like it’s become sentimental over the years. It’s always been there.”

Héctor Neris — 51

The veteran reliever didn’t get his first choice – No. 50.

“I always wore 50 my whole career since I got to the big leagues,” Neris said. “But Taillon has 50 and he’s got more veteran status, more service time so that’s why I had to pick a different number.

“Just by chance, I got 51 and it represents the dates of the birth of my three children. They add up to 51 on their birthdays. One is the 4th [of August], the other is the 21st of May and the youngest is the 12th of January.”

No. 50 wasn’t even a choice at first for Neris — it’s just what the Phillies gave him as a rookie in 2014.

“I don’t think too much about those things,” Neris said. “It’s something that — although it has some significance, it’s just a number. It doesn’t mean you’re going to do or not do something.”

Julian Merryweather — 66

Merryweather had a laid-back approach to his uniform number.

“They were like, here you want 66? I was like, sure,” Merryweather said last year. “Not a big numbers guy. Pocket 6s, we’ll take it.”

Javier Assad — 72

As a kid, Assad always preferred to wear No. 7. Among the options he was given when he made his debut with the Cubs late in 2022, he chose 72 because it had a 7 in it.

“Normally I wear 77 because I like 7,” Assad said. “There was a player in the Mexican League that played for Tijuana, Derrick White. I was a big fan of his and the team and when I was a kid I liked him and I liked 7.

“That’s why. I’ve been grabbing it since then. Now that I had the chance to take a number with 7, I grabbed it.”

White played 4 seasons in the Mexican League with Tijuana and played in 11 games for the Cubs in 1998, hitting 1 home run. 

Even though he prefers 77 and it is currently not worn by anybody with the Cubs, Assad won’t change from 72 now.

“That’s the one I got and I like it, so I’m staying with it,” he said.

Adbert Alzolay — 73

Alzolay’s first choice — 29 — wasn’t available when he was first called up, so the team assigned him 73.

“I picked this number because it was the one, they gave me when I debuted in the big leagues,” Alzolay said last year. “And honestly that day was super special, and I decided to keep that number.”

José Cuas — 74

The side-arming reliever has only been in the big leagues for parts of 2 seasons with the Royals and Cubs but has been fortunate enough to wear the same uniform number with both organizations.

“That’s the number they gave me when I got called up,” Cuas said. “I felt like that was such a special moment for me that I have to stick with that number. It has meaning to me that it was the first number I pitched with in the big leagues and I’ve kept it from there.”

Position players

Nick Madrigal — 1

At Oregon State, Madrigal donned 3 since it was his mom’s favorite number. When he arrived in the big leagues with the White Sox, he knew he couldn’t pick that number since it’s retired for Harold Baines, so he picked 1.

Then, he was traded in 2021 to the Cubs – only he couldn’t go back to No. 3 because the manager at the time (David Ross) wore it.

“It was kinda funny, right when I got traded over, I was just thinking, ‘oh what number could I wear? Oh, maybe I could go back to No. 3 from college,’” Madrigal said last year. “And I looked at the roster and I saw Rossy was No. 3. I knew there was no chance I’d ever get that.”

Madrigal didn’t even try to ask Ross for the number and just stuck with what he knew.

“No. 1 I felt comfortable with from my time with the White Sox,” Madrigal said. “I just wanted a single digit, preferably a lower one. It worked out.”

Nico Hoerner — 2

Hoerner didn’t put a ton of stock into picking his number when he was called up in 2019.

“I’ve had a bunch of different numbers in my career but it was cool to have a single digit number open when I was called up,” Hoerner said. “It was a pretty quick process.”

Christopher Morel — 5

Like many of his teammates, Morel didn’t get his first choice because it was already taken. And like many of his teammates, he wanted a low number as a backup option.

“When I got up here, I wanted 11 but Smyly had it,” Morel said. “I wanted a low number and I preferred 5. I chose 5. I didn’t have any real motivation to pick that number.”

Dansby Swanson — 7

When Swanson signed with the Cubs prior to the 2023 season, veteran catcher Yan Gomes was already wearing the No. 7 uniform. But the team’s new prized free agent acquisition reached out to Gomes and worked out a deal for the number.

“I never had any allegiance to 7 until I got to [Vanderbilt University] and that’s what they gave me,” Swanson said last year. “I had never worn 7, never really cared to wear 7 and then I got to Vandy and they gave me 7 and I haven’t taken it off since.

“I don’t know how to really look at it. I like the number 7. It’s like a whole number. It just kinda became — I feel like I’m a 7. It just kinda worked out. Like, I’m a 7.”

Ian Happ — 8

Growing up, Happ wore 1 in high school and 5 in college. When he made his big-league debut with the Cubs in 2017, both were taken (1 by third base coach Gary Jones and 5 by Albert Almora Jr.).

“I had worn 8 as a kid and it was like the only single digit available, so it was like going back to being 10 years old,” Happ said last year. “I wore 8 when I was like 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 – those years.”

Why the low number?

“I’ve always worn single digits and I have a really short last name, so it looks good on the back of the uni,” Happ said. “I had a good buddy of mine — I was young for my grade, so I always had to play younger when I was growing up. So, when we were playing travel ball together, I let him wear 8 and I wore 15. So, it was cool to go back to it. It was the first number I ever had.”

Yan Gomes — 15

When Gomes gave Swanson No. 7, the backstop then opted to pivot to No. 15 as credit to one of his former coaches, Sandy Alomar Jr.

“He was super influential early in my career,” Gomes said. “I kinda wanted to pay him homage.”

Patrick Wisdom — 16

Wisdom was first called up to the Cubs in 2020 and donned 59 in his two games. When he was called back up in 2021, he asked head clubhouse manager Danny Mueller and director of team travel and clubhouse operations Vijay Tekchandani for a list of numbers that were available.

“Honestly, it was just one of the lower ones that were available when I was called up,” Wisdom said last year. “They gave me a list and I chose it.”

Miles Mastrobuoni — 20

Like others, the Cubs’ utility man didn’t have much thought in his number choice.

“Kinda just what was available,” Mastrobuoni said last year. “Not too set on a number. It was just a number that was open, and I was like, yeah, let’s go with it. I’ve never worn 20. Hoping to make it a good one.”

Cody Bellinger — 24

Bellinger’s 35 became almost iconic in Los Angeles.

But his favorite player growing up — Manny Ramírez — made the number 24 iconic in Boston.

“I just loved the baggy jersey, the swag he had, so the option was here, and I just wanted to roll with it,” Bellinger said last year. “It’s fun to pick 24 this year.”

Seiya Suzuki — 27

Even before Suzuki officially suited up for the Cubs for the first time, he explained why he chose uniform number 27.

“Mike Trout, I love you,” Suzuki said in English during his introductory press conference in spring of 2022. (Trout wears uniform number 27 as well.)

Michael Busch — 29

The first-year Cub has a very simple explanation for why he wears No. 29:

“It was one that was available,” he said.

In the past, Busch has worn 14 and 15 a lot just as numbers that were typically assigned to him.

“And 14 and 15 combined is 29,” Busch pointed out.

Mike Tauchman — 40

Tauchman didn’t make the Opening Day roster last season and spent the first six weeks of the year in Triple-A. But when he was promoted to Chicago, the veteran journeyman was offered a choice between uniform No. 40 and 62.

So 40 it was.

Like many of his teammates, Tauchman prefers lower numbers and has tried to get Nos. 12, 14 or 18 at times in the past.

But for a guy who has played in 5 different organizations – including a stint in Korea in 2022 – Tauchman is more worried about the name of the front of the uniform than the number on the back.

“I’ve worn a lot of different jerseys and a lot of different numbers,” he said. “If anything, it’s just more about being on the team and getting a jersey at all, which is pretty cool.”

Garrett Cooper — 41

Cooper signed a minor-league deal with the Cubs this spring and ended up making the team as a non-roster invite.

The veteran first baseman/DH doesn’t put too much stock into uniform numbers and has worn 64, 30, 26 and 24 throughout his career.

Now, he’s 41.

“Just what was available,” Cooper said. “There’s no real significance to numbers for me. It’s not a big thing to me. A lot of guys are really superstitious on what numbers they wear. I don’t have any.”

Young players we’ll see in Chicago this season

Alexander Canario — 4

When Canario was called up last September he was offered the choice between 4 and 18.  

“My birthday is on the 7^th and that was the closest number available, so I grabbed 4,” Canario said. 

It’s going to stick, too. 

“I plan to keep 4,” he added. “Don’t plan on changing it.”

Daniel Palencia — 48

Palencia, like most other players, was offered a few numbers and 48 immediately caught his attention. 

“I thought of Pablo Sandoval,” Palencia said. “As a kid, I watched him a lot. So that’s why I picked that one.”

Sandoval played for the Navegantes del Magallanes in the Venezuelan Winter League, the same team that holds Palencia’s rights. 

While there’s sentimental value, he’s not looking to keep that number, if he can. He’s planned to chat with team travel and clubhouse operations director Vijay Tekchandani about making a switch.

“I want 99,” Palencia said. “As a kid I liked it a lot because it wasn’t common. A lot of people didn’t pick it. Manny Ramírez used it. I watched him as a kid.

“I remember at my school as a kid I always used it and they would say, ‘Hey, 99! Hey, 99!’ and I liked that.”

Pete Crow-Armstrong — 52

When Crow-Armstrong was called up to Chicago to make his MLB debut last September, he had 3 options for uniform number and 52 was his selection from that group.

“I can remember almost every number I’ve worn,” Crow-Armstrong said. “Little League was 4, 34, 44. And then when I was 12, it was 21 and I was 21 until I was out of high school.

“And then it was 4 again when I was with the Mets in St. Lucie and then it was 39 in Myrtle Beach and 5 in South Bend and 5 in Double-A and 4 in Triple-A. … I am the least picky about what number is on my back. I couldn’t care less.”