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Cubs Sign Jacob Webb

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The Cubs announced the signing of righty reliever Jacob Webb to a one-year deal that includes a club option for the 2027 season. The KHG Sports Management client will reportedly make $1.5MM in 2026. The option comes with a $2.5MM base salary, and there are $500K available in annual incentives. Chicago’s 40-man roster count climbs to 35.

Webb, now 32, is coming off three straight solid seasons. He doesn’t overpower hitters or have pinpoint control but he can miss bats and also miss barrels.

He has thrown at least 53 2/3 innings in each of the past three campaigns. His earned run average has been 3.69 or lower in each of those. He walked 10.3% of batters faced in that time, a rate a bit higher than average. His 34.1% ground ball rate was also worse than par. His 23.5% strikeout rate was better than average but just barely.

Despite those underwhelming peripherals, he has kept runs off the board. He has perhaps had some help from the baseball gods, as he has allowed just a .235 batting average on balls in play over those three years, about 55 points below par. His 77.6% strand rate also leans to the fortunate side. His 4.11 FIP and 4.10 SIERA are skeptical of his 3.22 ERA for that span.

It might not be entirely luck, however. Statcast has pegged Webb’s exit velocity allowed as being in the 70th percentile or better in each of the past three years, including in the 95th percentile in 2025. His hard hit rate was middle of the pack in 2023 but 82nd percentile or better in each of the past two seasons. His barrel rate was 85th percentile or better in 2023 and 2025, though with a dip to 46th in 2024.

Despite the solid run of results, Webb has been fairly nomadic, perhaps since his arsenal isn’t dominant. His fastball has averaged in the 93 to 95 mile per hour range while he also throws a changeup and a sweeper in the low 80s. Teams love velocity and strikeouts these days and have perhaps been a bit skeptical of Webb’s numbers.

He was stuck in the minors in 2022 and sent through waivers unclaimed that year. Going into 2023, he settled for a minor league deal with the Angels. He eventually got a roster spot in Anaheim but went to the Orioles on waivers.

He stuck with the Orioles for a little over a year, from August of 2023 through the end of 2024. He posted a 3.02 ERA for Baltimore in 2024 and could have been retained for 2025, with MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projecting him for a modest $1.7MM salary, but the O’s surprisingly non-tendered him.

The Rangers scooped Webb up and gave him a $1.25MM guarantee plus incentives. That turned into a great investment for Texas, with Webb posting a flat ERA of 3.00 this year. But once again, Webb found himself non-tendered, despite a modest $2MM salary projection for 2026.

The Cubs love to build a bullpen on the cheap. President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer got his current title in November of 2020 and went five offseasons without giving a reliever a multi-year deal. Their 2025 relief corps featured contributions from Brad Keller, Caleb Thielbar, Drew Pomeranz, Ryan Pressly, Andrew Kittredge and Taylor Rogers, who were all acquired via trade or signed modest one-year deals, or sometimes even minor league deals.

That strategy has been effective for the Cubs as they have had some decent results from the bullpen without burdensome commitments. The downside is that so many short-term commitments means a big slate of guys reaching free agency at season’s end.

Going into 2026, there was work to do in rebuilding the relief corps. Hoyer finally broke his streak and gave a two-year deal to Phil Maton, though the $14.5MM guarantee was still quite affordable. The club has also added lefty Hoby Milner to a one-year deal with a $3.75MM guarantee. Perhaps coincidentally, each of Maton, Milner and Webb finished the 2025 season with the Rangers.

In addition to digging a runoff trench from Arlington to Wrigley, the Cubs also brought back Thielbar on a $4.5MM guarantee. Those four signees should slot in next to Daniel Palencia in the bullpen. The Cubs could give the final slots to in-house arms like Porter Hodge, Ethan Roberts, Luke Little and others but those guys still have options, so the Cubs could still find more external additions in what remains of the offseason.

Patrick Mooney of The Athletic first reported the Cubs and Webb had agreed to a one-year deal with a club option. The Athletic’s Will Sammon had the $1.5MM guarantee and $2.5MM option value with $500K in incentives. Photo courtesy of David Frerker, Tim Heitman, Imagn Images

Cubs To Sign Christian Bethancourt To Minor League Deal

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The Cubs and catcher Christian Bethancourt have agreed to a minor league deal, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post. He would make $1.6MM if in the majors. He’ll presumably be in major league camp in spring training.

Bethancourt, 34, was a Cub in his most recent stint in the big leagues. Chicago rostered him in the second half of the 2024 season. He performed well in a small sample. He took 59 plate appearances in 24 games with a strong .281/.305/.509 batting line in that time.

Since his offense has been very up-and-down in his career, the Cubs presumably didn’t feel that kind of production was sustainable. He could have been retained for 2025 via arbitration, with MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projecting him for a $2.5MM salary. Instead, the Cubs outrighted him off the roster and he elected free agency.

The Blue Jays signed Bethancourt to a minor league deal last offseason. He spent 2025 with Triple-A Buffalo without getting a call up to the majors. Toronto’s catchers stayed relatively healthy this year but Bethancourt also didn’t do himself any favors. As mentioned, his offense has been inconsistent and he hit .173/.219/.332 for the Bisons this year.

Though he’s coming off a down year at the plate, there’s no harm in this deal for the Cubs. They haven’t committed anything and things went well the last time they had Bethancourt around. Their catching situation is also a bit fluid right now. Reese McGuire got a decent amount of playing time in 2025 but he has been non-tendered.

The Cubs still have Carson Kelly, Miguel Amaya and Moisés Ballesteros but there are some questions in that group. Kelly is coming off a good year overall but hit just .218/.278/.318 in the second half. Amaya is still trying to get fully established as a big leaguer but spent most of 2025 on the injured list and only got into 28 games. Ballesteros is a great hitter but there are questions about his defense. Ballesteros is the only one of those three who can be optioned to the minors but the Cubs might want his bat in designated hitter mix in the majors.

Bethancourt gives them a bit of non-roster depth at the Triple-A level. As mentioned, he’s coming off a down year at the plate but he’s a veteran who made his major league debut over a decade ago. He has a decent defensive reputation, though more so for his work controlling the running game than his framing or blocking. If he eventually is added to the roster, he is out of options.

Photo courtesy of Kamil Krzaczynski, Imagn Images

Latest On Pete Fairbanks’ Market

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While most of the top free agent relievers are off the board, former Rays closer Pete Fairbanks remains unsigned. The Diamondbacks, Marlins and White Sox are among the teams that have been linked to the hard-throwing righty.

The connection with Miami has come up on a few occasions. The Marlins are looking for a high-leverage reliever. Fairbanks has ties to president of baseball operations Peter Bendix from their time in Tampa Bay. In an appearance on Foul Territory this week, Izaac Azout of Fish On First suggested that Miami has shown a willingness to offer a one-year deal in “the mid-teens” range and floated the possibility that Miami could make a $13-14MM proposal.

Tampa Bay could have retained Fairbanks on an $11MM club option. While it’s understandable the front office didn’t want to commit a sizable portion of their budget to a single inning reliever, it was more surprising that the Rays were unable to drum up trade interest. It should work out better for Fairbanks financially. He collected a $1MM buyout and seems well positioned to beat the $10MM difference. ESPN’s Jeff Passan wrote on Thursday that Fairbanks was trending towards either a multi-year deal or a one-year contract worth more than $11MM.

While it’d seem counterintuitive for teams to pay more than the declined option price, that occasionally happens. Option calls are due within the first five days of the offseason. Teams may have preferred to maintain payroll flexibility until they had a better read on the market. Fairbanks was clearly behind the likes of Edwin Díaz, Devin Williams and Robert Suarez.

Clubs that missed out on those relievers — including Miami, who reportedly had shown interest in Williams — could more highly value Fairbanks now than they did six weeks ago. It’s also possible that they stretch to a two-year deal at a sub-$11MM annual rate to save some money in 2026 while giving the pitcher a larger overall guarantee.

The Cubs are another team that makes sense for Fairbanks on paper. They have added Phil Maton and Hoby Milner while re-signing Caleb Thielbar, but they lost arguably their best reliever when Brad Keller signed a $22MM contract with Philadelphia. Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic wrote earlier this week that the Cubs remain open to adding a clearer high-leverage arm. They’ve given some consideration to Fairbanks, per the report, though it’s not clear how seriously they’re involved.

Chicago has shied away from significant bullpen investments over the past few seasons. Their two-year, $14.5MM contract with Maton was already their biggest reliever signing in six years. Fairbanks would cost more than $7.25MM annually but will be looking at a short-term deal as he enters his age-32 season.

Cubs Sign Tyler Austin To Major League Deal

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The Cubs announced the signing of first baseman Tyler Austin to a one-year contract. It’s reportedly a $1.25MM guarantee for the Ballengee Group client, who has spent the past six seasons playing in Japan. The Cubs had seven vacancies on the 40-man roster, so no corresponding move was necessary.

Austin, now 34, played in the big leagues from 2016 to 2019. He suited up for the Yankees, Twins, Giants and Brewers without being able to cement himself as a big league regular. He hit 33 home runs in 583 plate appearances over four seasons but also struck out at a 36.9% clip.

Milwaukee passed him through waivers in November of 2019. He elected free agency and signed with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. Since then, he has been mashing pretty consistently for that club, when healthy. He only played 65 games in 2020 but hit 20 home runs in his 269 plate appearances. In 2021, he got that up to 28 home runs over 107 games and 439 plate appearances.

Then came an injury spell, as he only played 60 games total over the 2022 and 2023 seasons due to various ailments. He underwent shoulder surgery in September of 2023, according to Sanspo Sports, but was back in form in 2024. He hit another 25 home runs last year in 445 plate appearances. He struck out 19.8% of the time while drawing walks at a 10.1% clip. His .316/.382/.601 line translated to a 197 wRC+, indicating he was 97% better than the average NPB hitter.

This year, he only got into 65 games. According to Yahoo Japan, he dealt with pain in his right knee. The BayStars decided not to bring him back for 2026. However, he did still hit well when on the field. He launched 11 home runs in just 246 plate appearances, with an 18.3% strikeout rate and 10.6% walk rate. His .269/.350/.484 line may look only decent at first blush but the NPB has had some issues with dead balls lately, so that line actually translated to a big 147 wRC+.

The Cubs are clearly intrigued by the big offensive numbers. It’s a bit of a risky pick-up, in the sense that Austin hasn’t played in the majors since 2019 and has had some health issues. But $1.25MM is barely above the league minimum, which will be $780K next year. The Cubs are also giving up a roster spot but they came into today with a 40-man count of 33, so it’s not as though they have a squeeze at the moment.

Chicago already has a first baseman in Michael Busch but he is a lefty swinger who needs a platoon partner. He’s coming off a huge 34-homer season with a .261/.343/.523 line and 140 wRC+. However, he slashed just .207/.274/.368 against southpaws for an 81 wRC+.

The Cubs also have some lefty bats in their designated hitter mix. Seiya Suzuki was the primary DH in 2025 but he might take over right field with the departure of Kyle Tucker. The Cubs would then have guys like Moisés Ballesteros and Owen Caissie, both lefties, battling for DH time.

Last year, the Cubs gave 40-year-old Justin Turner $6MM to be their righty-swinging first base/DH type. He did his job with the platoon advantage, hitting .276/.330/.429, but hit just .141/.232/.155 otherwise. That led to a combined .219/.288/.314 line and 71 wRC+ for the year.

Presumably, the Cubs are hoping that Austin can be a younger, cheaper and more successful version of their Turner signing. It may not work out but they are barely paying him over the league minimum, as mentioned, so it’s not much of a risk financially. If he can produce anything like his NPB stats, he’ll be a bargain.

Jeff Passan of ESPN first reported the Cubs were signing Austin to a big league deal. Jon Heyman of The New York Post had the $1.25MM salary. Photo courtesy of Michael McLoone, Imagn Images

Giants Have Shown Interest In Nico Hoerner

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The Giants are known to be looking for upgrades at second base. Earlier this week, they were reported as one of the frontrunners for Brendan Donovan of the Cardinals and were also connected to Ketel Marte of the Diamondbacks. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that they have checked in on Nico Hoerner of the Cubs. She also lists Brandon Lowe of the Rays as one of their targets.

It’s an understandable target for the Giants. Most of their playing time at the keystone went to Tyler Fitzgerald, Casey Schmitt and Christian Koss in 2025. All three of those guys had underwhelming seasons at the plate. Schmitt was the closest the league average offensively but with the weakest defensive grades.

Free agency doesn’t offer huge upgrades over that group. Bo Bichette is out there and reportedly willing to play second, but the Giants have downplayed their desire to sign another long-term deal this winter. Ha-Seong Kim, Jorge Polanco and Gleyber Torres are all off the board. Utility types like Ramón Urías, Willi Castro and Isiah Kiner-Falefa don’t move the needle much over the in-house options.

On the trade market, Marte has been in plenty of rumors but it’s still unclear if the Diamondbacks will move him. Even if they decide to pull the trigger, it would be a surprise to see him sent to their division rivals in San Francisco. Donovan is widely expected to move since he is on a rebuilding club and two years from free agency, but the asking price should be huge. Since he can play all over the diamond, he can fit on many clubs and the demand is widespread. Though the Giants are apparently one of the finalists, half the teams in the league have shown in interest.

Hoerner and Lowe have very similar contractual situations. Both players are only signed through 2026 and would therefore be rentals. Lowe will make a $11.5MM salary next year and Hoerner $12MM.

But they have opposite profiles and their team situations are very different. Lowe is injury prone, doesn’t run well and isn’t a great defender. His strikeout and walk profile has been poor in each of the past two years. However, he’s a clear source of power. He has hit 21 home runs four separate times, including a 31-homer season in 2025. It’s common for the Rays to trade away players as they get more expensive and closer to free agency. Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Tommy Pham are some of the many examples.

Hoerner, however, does not have huge power. He has never hit more than ten home runs in a season. However, he’s better than Lowe in basically every other aspect. He hasn’t been on the injured list in years. He’s one of the faster guys in the game and is generally good for 30ish steals a year. He’s one of the toughest guys in the game to strike out. He’s a good enough defender to play shortstop. The only reason he’s at second is because the Cubs have Dansby Swanson.

The Cubs shouldn’t be especially motivated to move him. He is affordable and has been good for about four to five wins above replacement per year, according to FanGraphs. He has reportedly drawn trade interest but the Cubs should be able to set a high asking price since he’s valuable to them as well. His salary isn’t onerous and the Cubs don’t appear to have any kind of payroll crunch.

It’s at least possible to imagine a scenario where the Cubs think about it. As mentioned, Hoerner is an impending free agent. The Cubs could extend him again but he also could get more interest elsewhere. Looking at next year’s free agent class, Hoerner could potentially market himself as the best available shortstop. His competition would be J.P. Crawford and Kim. Crawford is a decent player but his glovework has been poor in recent years and he’ll be going into his age-32 season in 2027. Kim could bounce back from an injury-marred 2025 but he has a similar profile to Hoerner and is a year older. Kim will be 31 in 2027. Hoerner will turn 30 in May of that year.

Perhaps Hoerner expects to get paid big shortstop bucks next winter and the Cubs don’t see a path to keeping him with Swanson signed through 2029. They have been connected to free agent third basemen Alex Bregman and Eugenio Suárez. In that scenario, perhaps Matt Shaw becomes available on the trade market or he could move to second with Hoerner traded. Shaw mostly played third in the majors this year but has second base experience. He got six big league innings at the keystone in 2025 and has close to 300 minor league innings there in his career.

Trading Hoerner and moving to Shaw to second would be a defensive downgrade. That’s not really a knock on Shaw, who graded out well at third this year, just a reflection of Hoerner being arguably the best defensive second baseman in the game today. But adding a big bat like Bregman or Suárez could make up for the Cubs losing Kyle Tucker to free agency. Whether that upgrades the club in 2026 would be debatable but it would certainly help in the long run if the Cubs don’t expect to retain Hoerner beyond 2026.

It’s unknown whether the Cubs have any interest in such a scenario. It also doesn’t seem like the Giants are primarily focused on second base. Slusser writes that pitching and the outfield are the club’s current priorities. Since Donovan can also play the outfield, the Giants probably have him above Hoerner on their target list. With the number of moving pieces in the second base trade market, perhaps someone needs to blink and knock over the first domino. If the Cardinals pull the trigger on Donovan, for instance, teams could then pivot to the other options.

Photo courtesy of Sergio Estrada, Imagn Images

Cubs To Re-Sign Caleb Thielbar

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Dec. 17: Thielbar is guaranteed $4.5MM on the contract, reports Patrick Mooney of The Athletic. That breaks down as a $4MM salary and a $500K buyout on a 2027 mutual option. There are also incentives in the deal that can boost his 2026 earnings.

Dec. 16: The Cubs are re-signing veteran left-handed reliever Caleb Thielbar, per Jesse Rogers and Jeff Passan of ESPN. The agreement between the two parties is still pending the completion of a physical. Thielbar is represented by ISE Baseball.

Thielbar, 39 in January, spent his entire big league career prior to the 2025 season with his hometown Twins. He signed a one-year, $2.75MM contract coming off a down showing in his final year with Minnesota and bounced back in a major way with Chicago.

In 58 innings this past season, the South Dakota State product notched a sharp 2.64 earned run average and 25 holds — the latter tying him with Brad Keller (also a free agent this winter) for the team lead. Thielbar struck out 25.5% of his opponents, limited walks at an excellent 5.9% clip, and kept 40.7% of the batted balls against him on the ground (a career-high mark). He tacked on another 3 2/3 scoreless frames in the postseason.

While he doesn’t throw particularly hard (92.8 mph average fastball in ’25), Thielbar still managed to post a roughly average swinging-strike rate and an above-average strikeout rate thanks to dominant performances from his curveball and slider alike. Opponents hit just .135 and slugged .231 against the former while batting .169 and slugging .254 versus the latter. Thielbar dominated left-handed hitters (.161/.211/.276) and right-handed hitters (.205/.248/.342) alike during his lone season with the Cubs.

Thielbar is the third free-agent addition to the Cubs’ bullpen this winter, joining fellow southpaw Hoby Milner (one year, $3.75MM) and right-hander Phil Maton (two years, $14.5MM). Thielbar and Milner give manager Craig Counsell a pair of experienced southpaws, both of whom he’s previously managed, and create the potential for a trio of southpaws, should Luke Little also make the club. Thielbar, Milner and Maton will combine to help bridge the gap between the rotation and young closer Daniel Palencia.

There’s still room for Chicago to make further additions to the bullpen, which has at least three spots earmarked for relatively untested arms. Each of their bullpen pickups thus far has also been relatively low-cost in nature, leaving room for a significant addition elsewhere on the roster. The Cubs have been at least loosely tied to top free agents like Ranger Suarez, Tatsuya Imai, Alex Bregman and Eugenio Suarez, among others.

Cubs Sign Hoby Milner

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December 16th: The Cubs have officially announced Milner’s signing.

December 11th: The Cubs and left-hander Hoby Milner are reportedly in agreement on a one-year deal. The MVP Sports Group will make $3.75MM plus incentives. The Cubs have multiple 40-man vacancies and don’t need to make a corresponding move.

Milner, 35 in January, is an unusual but effective southpaw. He doesn’t throw very hard, averaging in the high 80s with his fastball and sinker. But he nonetheless manages to get outs with an unorthodox sidewinding delivery, with his arsenal also featuring a slider and a changeup.

Over the past four seasons, Milner has thrown at least 64 innings in each campaign. Put together, he has logged 264 innings in that span, allowing 3.55 earned runs per nine. His 22.6% strikeout rate in that time was close to average while his 5.8% walk rate and 51.1% ground ball rate were both notably better than par. His Statcast data in that span has also been better than league average, with Milner having an 87 mile per hour exit velocity, 5.4% barrel rate and 35.5% hard hit rate. He earned one save and 49 holds over that four-year stretch.

That span did feature a fluky ERA spike, as Milner posted a 4.73 ERA with the Brewers in 2024. The Brewers could have retained him for 2025 via arbitration, with MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projecting him for a $2.7MM salary, but they non-tendered him instead. The Rangers scooped him up with a deal for $2.5MM plus incentives and benefitted from a bounceback, as Milner posted a 3.84 ERA in 2025.

The Cubs have now given him a slight raise in the hopes that he can keep things rolling in 2026. Cubs manager Craig Counsell is plenty familiar with Milner’s abilities, as he was the skipper in Milwaukee when Milner established himself as a viable big league reliever.

Chicago had a decent relief corps in 2025. Their relievers had a collective ERA of 3.78, putting them just outside the top ten of MLB clubs. But at season’s end, Brad Keller, Caleb Thielbar, Drew Pomeranz, Taylor Rogers, Michael Soroka, Aaron Civale and Ryan Brasier all became free agents. The Cubs flipped Andrew Kittredge to the Orioles in the early days of the offseason, getting cash considerations back in return.

The Cubs generally prefer to build their bullpens on the cheap. From 2020 until last month, they didn’t sign any free agent relievers to multi-year deals, part of the reason why they just lost so many arms to free agency. They broke that pattern recently by signing Phil Maton to a two-year deal, but Milner is another low-cost, short-term commitment to the relief group.

The southpaw contingent of the bullpen was particularly lacking before this move, with Thielbar, Pomeranz and Rogers all departing for the open market. That left Luke Little as the top option, despite having just 35 1/3 career innings with an 18.2% walk rate. Milner is now the most experienced lefty in the group, though the Cubs could make further additions before the offseason is through.

This move brings the Cubs to a $184MM payroll and $199MM competitive balance tax figure, according to RosterResource. It’s unclear where the Cubs want the payroll to end up. The base threshold of the CBT is $244MM next year, meaning the Cubs are $45MM away. They went narrowly over the tax line in 2024 but ducked back below in 2025. They are still on the hunt for a big rotation upgrade. They’ve been connected to free agent Alex Bregman. They will presumably be looking for more relievers. How it all plays out will depend on how much dry powder the Cubs have.

Michael Cerami of Bleacher Nation was first on the deal. Brittany Ghiroli of The Athletic noted it would be for one year. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com had the guarantee. Photo courtesy of Jerome Miron, Benny Sieu, Imagn Images

Cubs Elevate Tyler Zombro To VP Role

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After rebuffing an interview attempt from the Nationals, the Cubs have promoted Tyler Zombro to vice president of pitching, reports Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic. After just one year in the front office, Zombro will now take on an expanded role in scouting, coaching, and player development.

Zombro joined the organization last season as a special assistant to president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer. He’d previously worked with Tread Athletics, a well-regarded training facility. Washington was chasing Zombro to be the club’s major league pitching coach, per Sharma. Instead of granting him permission to interview with the Nats, he was handed an expanded gig in Chicago.

Zombro spent six seasons as a minor league reliever, almost exclusively with Tampa Bay. His career was nearly cut short by a terrifying injury in 2021, when the righty was hit in the head by a line drive. The 104 mph batted ball fractured his skull and caused him to have a seizure on the mound. Zombro underwent brain surgery in July 2021. Incredibly, he briefly returned in 2022, but needed thoracic outlet syndrome surgery after two appearances. He latched on with the Rangers in 2023, pitching in a pair of games at Triple-A.

The Zombro promotion was underway even before the Cubs lost director of pitching Ryan Otero to the Red Sox, notes Sharma. Otero had spent nearly eight years in Chicago’s player development department. Boston hired him as a special assistant to chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, whom he had worked with in Chicago.

The Cubs finished ninth in ERA last season. The bullpen was particularly strong, ranking fifth in xFIP and sixth in SIERA. Journeyman starter Brad Keller was a crucial part of the late-inning mix, putting together a dominant campaign in his first foray as a reliever. Chicago scooped up Keller as a minor league free agent in January. Zombro was credited for the move, per Sharma. Keller posted a sterling 2.07 ERA with more than a strikeout per inning across 68 appearances. The righty has drawn widespread interest as a free agent, with some teams reportedly considering him as a starter.

Photo courtesy of Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn Images

Cubs Met With Pete Alonso At Winter Meetings

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First baseman Pete Alonso is now an Oriole, as his five-year deal with Baltimore was officially announced today. He drove from his Tampa home to the Winter Meetings in Orlando to meet with clubs before locking that deal down. According to Jon Heyman of The New York Post, he also met with the Red Sox and Cubs. It was already known that he would be meeting with the Red Sox but the connection to the Cubs is new.

No details have emerged about the meeting but the Cubs presumably didn’t sit down with Pete just to talk about the weather, so it can be deduced that they had at least some interest in signing the Polar Bear.

The Cubs already have a first baseman in Michael Busch, who is quite good. He hit 21 homers for the Cubs last year and added 34 more in 2025. His walk rate declined a bit but he also noticeably reduced his strikeouts, from a somewhat-concerning 28.6% in 2024 to an almost-average 23.5% this year. He finished the 2025 season with a .261/.343/.523 line and 140 wRC+, with solid defense to boot.

However, he hits from the left side and is essentially a strong-side platoon guy. The Cubs only let him face a lefty 95 times this year and he produced a tepid .207/.274/.368 line and 81 wRC+ in those appearances. The Cubs signed 40-year-old Justin Turner to a one-year, $6MM deal last offseason and he started at first base against most lefties. He didn’t have a good season overall but did put up a .276/.330/.429 line against southpaws, good for a 112 wRC+.

Perhaps an Alonso signing would have been a blown-up version of the Turner deal. Alonso swings from the right side and could have played first base with a lefty on the mound. The Cubs also have a somewhat open designated hitter spot at the moment, at least on paper. Seiya Suzuki was the primary DH in 2025. With Kyle Tucker becoming a free agent, Suzuki projects as the right fielder, next to Pete Crow-Armstrong in center and Ian Happ in left. They have guys like Moisés Ballesteros and Owen Caissie in the mix for DH time right now but both are still fairly unproven at the big league level.

Alonso is not a great defender at first and it was reported last month that he’s more opening to serving as a DH going forward. The Cubs could have put him into the DH spot against righties with Busch at first. Against lefties, Alonso could have put on his glove, with the DH spot open for someone else. That could be someone like Ballesteros or Caissie but they are both lefty swingers and would have to show lesser platoon concerns than Busch. Kevin Alcántara is a righty and on the roster but he has concerning strikeout numbers in the minors. James Triantos is another righty on the roster but he hasn’t made his major league debut yet.

The Cubs lost a big bat from the middle of their lineup when Tucker hit free agency. Turner is also gone, which means they are down a right-handed platoon partner for Busch. Perhaps Alonso could have replaced Tucker’s lineup presence and also served as Busch’s platoon partner. Someone else could have filled the Turner role or they could have again looked for an affordable righty bat in free agency. That could have blocked guys like Ballesteros and Caissie but they could then have been used on the trade market to go after the big rotation upgrade.

It’s now a moot point as Alonso is off the board but it could be illustrative about the Cubs’ goals. It’s well-known that they are looking for a big front-of-rotation addition but a lineup addition is also possible. They have been connected to third baseman Alex Bregman and Eugenio Suárez this offseason, both of whom are right-handed. Kazuma Okamoto would be a somewhat similar pursuit. Munetaka Murakami is another big corner infield bat who is available but he’s a lefty. Old friend Cody Bellinger, another lefty, remains unsigned. He can play first, doesn’t have big platoon splits and can also play the outfield.

For a signing closer in scale to the Turner deal, some righty-swinging first basemen in free agency include Turner again as well as Rhys Hoskins, Ty France, Wilmer Flores, Paul Goldschmidt, Connor Joe and Donovan Solano, as well as switch-hitters Josh Bell, Abraham Toro and Carlos Santana.

On the righty-swinging first base trade market, the Orioles getting Alonso should make Ryan Mountcastle or Coby Mayo available. The Rays could be willing to listen on Yandy Díaz. The Rangers probably aren’t clinging to Jake Burger too tightly. The Mets could move Mark Vientos, depending on what the rest of their offseason moves are. The Astros would probably love to move Christian Walker but the Cubs surely don’t want his contract. Old friend Willson Contreras may be available but he has a hefty contract and a no-trade clause.

Photo courtesy of Jim Rassol, Imagn Images

Cubs, Collin Snider Agree To Minor League Deal

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Former Mariners and Royals reliever Collin Snider has agreed to a minor league deal with the Cubs, as Snider himself and the staff at Tread Athletics (where he works out in the offseason) indicated on Instagram. Presumably, he’ll be in big league camp next spring. Snider is represented by agent Jack Toffey.

The 30-year-old Snider has pitched in the majors in each of the past four seasons, spending the 2022-23 campaigns with Kansas City and 2024-25 with Seattle. In 122 2/3 major league innings, he carries a 4.48 earned run average with a 19.5% strikeout rate and an 8.8% walk rate.

Snider’s best year came with the ’24 Mariners, when he logged 41 2/3 innings with a 1.94 ERA, 27.8% strikeout rate and 7.7% walk rate. The lanky 6’4″ right-hander slipped to a 5.47 ERA in 26 1/3 big league frames this past season and lost nearly two miles per hour off his fastball — presumably in part due to a flexor strain that sent him to the injured list in early June.

Snider didn’t return to the majors after that IL placement. He struggled badly over a three-week rehab stint with Triple-A Tacoma, at which point the Mariners designated him for assignment and passed him through waivers. He spent the remainder of the season trying to get back on track in Tacoma but couldn’t recapture that 2024 form; in 25 2/3 Triple-A frames, Snider allowed 23 runs (8.06 ERA).

The Cubs traded Andrew Kittredge back to the Orioles following the season but have since signed veterans Phil Maton and Hoby Milner to support young closer Daniel Palencia. There’s still plenty of work to do in the ’pen, with Kittredge, Brad Keller, Drew Pomeranz and Caleb Thielbar all out the door. Chicago struck gold with their minor league addition of Keller last offseason, and while it’s not realistic to expect that level of success from subsequent minor league signees, that turnaround could make them more appealing to previously successful relievers in search of a rebound, like Snider. He’ll vie for a job next spring, but the Cubs’ bullpen scene should become more crowded in the weeks/months ahead.

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