Players the Cubs Could Rid Themselves Of Following Next Roster Update

The Chicago Cubs have been busy this week, tinkering with their roster, letting go of some players, adding a few more and by Friday night they could end up letting go of another handful of players following the non-tender deadline.

Entering the offseason, the Cubs had 14 players who were arbitration-eligible and would need to be tendered a contract by Nov. 22, if the team wanted to keep them on their 40-man roster. Out of those 14, the guarantees to be tendered are Justin Steele, Isaac Paredes, Mike Tauchman and the newly acquired Eli Morgan.

The Cubs also have to make decisions on right-handed relievers Julian Merryweather, Keegan Thompson, Colten Brewer and Nate Pearson, catcher Matt Thaiss and infielder Nick Madrigal. Six names on the original 14-player list have already been let go by the Cubs this offseason.

Let's go over the current 40-man roster as of Nov. 21, 2024.

Right-Handed Pitchers
Michael Arias
Javier Assad
Ben Brown
Porter Hodge
Gavin Hollowell 
Caleb Kilian
Julian Merryweather
Tyson Miller
Eli Morgan
Jack Neely
Daniel Palencia
Ethan Roberts
Jameson Taillon
Keegan Thompson
Hayden Wesneski

Left-Handed Pitchers
Shōta Imanaga
Luke Little
Justin Steele
Jordan Wicks
Rob Zastryzny

Catchers
Miguel Amaya
Matt Thaiss

Infielders
Michael Busch
Benjamin Cowles
Nico Hoerner
Nick Madrigal
Miles Mastrobuoni
Matt Mervis
Isaac Paredes
Dansby Swanson
Luis Vazquez

Outfielders
Kevin Alcantara
Cody Bellinger
Owen Caissie
Alexander Canario
Pete Crow-Armstrong
Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
Mike Tauchman

So, who should the Cubs non-tender? I really only have strong feelings toward two guys. First, Colten Brewer broke his hand punching the dugout wall at Wrigley Field in 2024 after a bad outing and at this point I don't see a lot of upside in the 32-year-old reliever.

As for Nick Madrigal, do the Cubs really need him around anymore? The 27-year-old has been a bust since the Cubs traded for him in the summer of 2021, posting a combined 0.8 fWAR in parts of three seasons on the north side. He battled through leg issues in his first couple years in a Cubs uniform and then after struggling at the plate in 2024, Madrigal was demoted to Triple-A, where he unfortunately suffered a broken hand in June, ending his season.

Madrigal is projected to earn a salary just shy of $2 million in 2025, and if you look at the list of infielders already on the 40-man roster, coupled with the fact that the Cubs will need to add Matt Shaw once he's ready to join the squad in 2025, then there's really no need for Madrigal.

I think Nate Pearson will be back after his showing in the final couple months after being acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays in July. I'd be disappointed if Keegan Thompson wasn't tendered following his rebound in 2024. As for Julian Merryweather, I think that's 100% determined by his health. You saw his capabilities when healthy during the 2023 season, but this past year was a disaster that ended with the reliever needing knee surgery, which came after he had already missed most of the season with a rib fracture.

I initially thought Merryweather would return at the beginning of the offseason, but now I'm not so sure, especially with the addition of Morgan.

As for catcher Matt Thaiss, he falls into the category of potentially being non-tendered, but with the understanding that he'll re-sign with the Cubs on a minor league deal. We'll see how the tender deadline plays out, as the Cubs have to make their decisions final by Friday night.