Offseason In Review: Chicago Cubs
The Cubs deepened their rotation, rebuilt their bullpen, and made one of the biggest free agent splashes in franchise history.
Major League Signings
- Alex Bregman, 3B: five years, $175MM. $70MM in deferred salary resulting in an approximate net present value of $154,469,510
- Shota Imanaga, SP: one year, $22.025MM. Accepted qualifying offer
- Phil Maton, RP: two years, $14.5MM. Includes $8.5MM club option with a $3MM buyout
- Hunter Harvey, RP: one year, $6MM. Includes $8MM mutual option with a $1MM buyout
- Caleb Thielbar, RP: one year, $4.5MM. Includes $6MM mutual option with a $500K buyout
- Hoby Milner, RP: one year, $3.75MM
- Shelby Miller, RP: two years, $2.5MM
- Jacob Webb, RP: one year, $1.5MM. Includes $2.5MM club option with no buyout
- Tyler Austin, 1B: one year, $1.25MM
2026 spending: $80.525MM ($15MM deferred)
Total future spending: $231.025MM ($70MM deferred)
Option Decisions
- Cubs declined three-year, $57.75MM club option on Imanaga. Player then declined a $15.25MM player option (plus provisions for 2027-28 options). Cubs then made qualifying offer, which was eventually accepted.
- Declined $10MM mutual option on 1B Justin Turner, resulting in $2MM buyout
Trades and Claims
- Acquired cash considerations from Orioles for RP Andrew Kittredge
- Acquired $250K in international bonus pool money from Astros for minor league RP Nico Zeglin
- Acquired SP Edward Cabrera from Marlins for RF Owen Caissie, minor league SS Cristian Hernandez, and minor league 1B/3B Edgardo De Leon
- Claimed RP Ryan Rolison off waivers from White Sox
- Claimed OF Justin Dean off waivers from Giants
- Claimed IF Ben Cowles off waivers from White Sox. Later claimed by Blue Jays
Notable Minor League Signings
- Michael Conforto, Chas McCormick, Dylan Carlson, Collin Snider, Corbin Martin, Trent Thornton, Scott Kingery, Christian Bethancourt, Vince Velasquez, Kyle Wright
Extensions
- Colin Rea, SP/RP: Facing a $6MM club option for 2026 with a $750K buyout, the parties instead agreed to a new deal paying $5.5MM for ’26. The new deal includes a $7.5MM buyout for 2027 with a $1MM buyout, for a $6.5MM guarantee and $5.75MM in new money.
Notable Losses
- Kyle Tucker, Brad Keller, Owen Caissie, Andrew Kittredge, Drew Pomeranz, Reese McGuire, Justin Turner, Willi Castro, Taylor Rogers, Ryan Brasier, Eli Morgan, Aaron Civale, Michael Soroka
The Cubs’ offseason kicked off with a series of option decisions regarding starter Shota Imanaga. Given the team’s lack of faith in Imanaga at the end of last season, those went as expected: the club declined their three-year option, and Imanaga declined his two-year option.
The Cubs’ decision to then issue Imanaga a one-year qualifying offer worth $22.025MM came as a surprise. With big offseason plans, why risk tying up that much money on him in mid-November? Perhaps the Cubs thought the 32-year-old would find a better deal elsewhere, netting them a mid-70s pick in the 2026 draft.
But the team certainly understood it was possible Imanaga would explore the market and elect to return to Chicago on the QO, and that’s what he did. Imanaga is a solid mid-rotation starter, one-year deals are rarely a problem, and restored velocity this spring may lead to a season more like his excellent 2024.
The only detriment to the Imanaga gambit would be if the Cubs found themselves pinching pennies elsewhere to make up for it. On the same day Imanaga became a free agent – before qualifying offers were due – the Cubs did make a financially-motivated move. Despite several of Craig Counsell’s other trusted relievers entering free agency, the Cubs shipped Andrew Kittredge back to Baltimore rather than pick up his $9MM club option.
Kittredge, 36, was excellent in 21 2/3 innings for the Cubs after coming over at the trade deadline, and was Counsell’s highest-leverage reliever in the playoffs. He’s been slowed by shoulder inflammation this spring, but back in November, I thought the Cubs would welcome him back to their bullpen. The Kittredge decision was curious, but 36-year-old pitchers are fickle, and $9MM tends to be the top range of what Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer is willing to spend for one season of a reliever. The Cubs did bring swingman Colin Rea back, throwing him a little extra money to get a club option for 2027.
After an unproductive and injury-marred second half, the Cubs seemed to have little interest in signing Kyle Tucker, whether to the $400MM+ deal he likely hoped for, or the record-setting AAV short-term opt-out deal he eventually signed with the Dodgers. The Cubs probably wouldn’t have signed Tucker even if his second half had been strong. But they did make him a qualifying offer to lock in the #75 pick in this year’s draft.
Knowing they’d get that pick likely boosted the Cubs’ willingness to forfeit their second-rounder, had they signed another team’s qualified free agent. That possibility was on the table throughout the offseason, with the Cubs showing some level of reported interest in Dylan Cease, Michael King, Ranger Suarez, and Zac Gallen.
The Cubs made a legitimate run at Cease, who they drafted out of high school back in 2014. Cease ultimately reached an agreement on a seven-year, $210MM deal with the Blue Jays on November 26th. As Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic put it on December 3rd, the Cubs “bowed out as the bidding reached the $200 million mark.”
The thing is, the bidding kind of didn’t reach the $200MM mark on Cease, who deferred $64MM and signed with a net present value of approximately $189.2MM. Either the Cubs actually drew their line below that range, or Hoyer had not yet convinced the Ricketts family to bend on their recent opposition to deferred money.
With Cease off the board, the Cubs reportedly at least entertained a number of top free agents throughout December beyond the starters mentioned, including Alex Bregman, Pete Alonso, Tatsuya Imai, and Eugenio Suarez.
Simultaneously, the Cubs set about rebuilding their bullpen through free agency. They snagged Phil Maton, a soft-tossing righty with a big strikeout rate last year, in November. Maton’s two-year, $14.5MM deal marked the first multiyear free agent relief signing of Hoyer’s five-year tenure atop the Cubs’ front office, and the club’s first since their disastrous Craig Kimbrel signing in June 2019. Hoyer saw another target, Ryan Helsley, land with Baltimore, but came away with Maton, Hunter Harvey, Caleb Thielbar, Hoby Milner, and Jacob Webb before the end of the year.
Save for a few minor league deals for depth, Hoyer’s bullpen work was done. Perhaps emboldened by his success in acquiring Brad Keller, Drew Pomeranz, and Kittredge last year, Hoyer brought in four new bullpen options while retaining Thielbar.
In the 2024-25 offseason, five relievers signed for $20MM or more: Tanner Scott, Jeff Hoffman, Blake Treinen, A.J. Minter, and Carlos Estevez. The first three posted ERAs of 4.37 and up last year, and Minter pitched only 11 innings. Estevez had success for the Royals, but is showing red flags this spring with a drastic velocity drop. Given that bust rate – the Cubs were actually the high bidder on Scott – it’s hard to fault Hoyer for letting Keller go to the Phillies for $22MM. Still, the Cubs’ bullpen, led by holdover and Team Venezuela stopper Daniel Palencia, comes with tons of variance for 2026.
The Cubs went off the beaten path to snag Tyler Austin on a cheap split contract. The 34-year-old first baseman had a touch of success in the Majors with the 2018 Yankees and Twins, but eventually decamped to Japan for a six-year run with the Yokohama BayStars (where he was teammates with Imanaga). It seemed that perhaps Austin would take over Justin Turner’s role as Michael Busch‘s caddy against tough lefties. But after an excellent 2025 season, the Cubs are saying Busch has earned a shot against southpaws. Part of that may be owed to the patellar tendon debridement procedure Austin underwent in February, expected to keep him out months. But the commitment to Austin was minimal, he could eventually supplement Moises Ballesteros at DH, and the Cubs still have right-handed options on the active roster in Miguel Amaya and Matt Shaw.
The Cubs’ interest in Cease suggested a desire to add a pitcher to the front of their rotation. According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, “the Cubs seem to have been the most aggressive suitor” of Japanese righty Tatsuya Imai, but they instead allowed the 27-year-old to sign an opt-out-laden three-year, $54MM deal with the Astros.
Perhaps the Cubs weren’t fans of the opt-out structure of Imai’s contract, after a similar one with Cody Bellinger became a headache. They instead pivoted to a longtime target, Marlins righty Edward Cabrera. The Cubs landed Cabrera in a January 7th trade with Miami, surrendering Baseball America’s #43 prospect in Owen Caissie (plus two others) to get him. The Cubs control the hard-throwing Cabrera for three years, and he comes cheap in 2026 at just $4.45MM.
Cabrera, 28 in April, set a career-high with last year’s 144 2/3 innings (which includes a couple minor league rehab starts). Dating back even before his 2021 debut, injuries have been a consistent theme in Cabrera’s career. He dealt with biceps inflammation in ’21, but still reached the Majors in August of that year. The biceps slowed him again the following year, which also included elbow tendinitis. A shoulder impingement cost him a month in ’23, which recurred the following spring and again in May of ’24. That one knocked him out for two months.
Cabrera began 2025 with an IL stint for a blister, another common injury for him. An elbow injury cropped up in July, but did not necessitate a trip to the IL. An elbow sprain did put Cabrera on the IL in September, though he returned in less than a month to make two final starts. His velocity was back at full strength in those appearances.
Of all the starting pitching options the Cubs entertained last winter, Cabrera was a high-risk, high-reward choice. But, particularly after Imanaga accepted the QO, they needed front of the rotation upside more than depth. The price on Cabrera was high; Caissie might have wound up as the Cubs’ starting right fielder for years otherwise. Though he throws hard, Cabrera’s fastball is actually ineffective, as Sharma explained. But he brings an excellent curveball and unique changeup, and he cut his walk rate last year. Cabrera is the type of starter the Cubs were missing in last year’s playoffs, though whether he’ll be healthy in October is anyone’s guess.
Though there was a bit of stray Zac Gallen talk, the Cabrera acquisition completed the Cubs’ rotation. They’ll trot out Matthew Boyd, Cade Horton, Imanaga, Cabrera, and Jameson Taillon to start the season, with Justin Steele hoping to return from surgery around June. Javier Assad will start the season in Triple-A, with Ben Brown working multi-inning stints out of the MLB bullpen and Rea always ready to take starts as needed. Jaxon Wiggins, the game’s 78th best prospect according to BA, will be at Triple-A Iowa as well. Even with Taillon’s shaky spring, the Cubs’ rotation depth looks strong for now. 160+ innings from Horton would still go a long way, after last year’s second-place Rookie of the Year finish.
After last spring’s four-year, $115MM offer to Alex Bregman fell well short, I didn’t expect the Cubs to make a bigger push a year later. I was wrong. It turned out the Cubs’ previous failure to push further was more on ownership than Hoyer. According to Patrick Mooney of The Athletic, Hoyer and GM Carter Hawkins used the intervening period to meet with higher-ups to “update the club’s philosophy on using deferred money to help finance deals for free agents.” The fact that the Cubs’ big starting pitching acquisition, Cabrera, added less than $5MM to the payroll likely emboldened Hoyer on Bregman.
As the Chicago Bears were mounting a wild comeback to beat the Packers at Soldier Field to win the NFC Wild Card game – with Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong in attendance – Hoyer was wrapping up a stunning deal with Bregman. Whereas their 2025 four-year offer covered his age 31-34 seasons, this year’s five-year deal covers age 32-36. That’s the first time the Cubs have signed a free agent through age 36 since Yu Darvish nearly eight years prior — a contract Hoyer dumped halfway through to get Caissie.
The Bregman deal included $70MM in deferred money, resulting in a net present value a bit shy of $155MM. Bregman did a bit better than expected, as MLBTR had called for $160MM over six years. Certainly Bregman brings a clubhouse effect that Kyle Tucker does not. But though the Cubs didn’t have to include a sixth year (age 37 for Bregman), I was still surprised to see them sign a player for big money that deep into his career. As Davy Andrews of FanGraphs put it, “He’s not starting out with much margin for error, so things could get ugly when his bat speed or his contact skills start to go. And Bregman is already slow and a below-average baserunner. He already has a weak arm. When the first-step quickness goes, the defense could crater pretty quickly too.” Long-term pessimism aside, Bregman still projects for 3+ WAR this year.
Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner, quietly worth 17.5 WAR over the last four years, had been in trade rumors throughout the winter. Hoerner’s contract is up after 2026, but the Cubs did not see fit to move him this winter to clear a spot for Matt Shaw. Shaw, 24, was displaced from his starting third base job by the Bregman signing. Shaw popped up in rumors as well, but instead the Cubs plan to use him in a super-utility role this year. For example, he’ll see time in right field early in the season as Seiya Suzuki recovers from a PCL strain suffered in the World Baseball Classic.
The Cubs’ Opening Day right field start against Nationals righty Cade Cavalli may go to Michael Conforto, as the veteran will make the team folllowing Suzuki’s injury. Minor league signee Dylan Carlson also claimed a bench spot. At the time of this writing, Scott Kingery and Chas McCormick are vying for the last position player job, with Kingery’s infield versatility probably giving him the leg up.
Late Tuesday, the Cubs put a cherry on top of an exciting offseason by locking up center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong to a long-term extension running through 2032. PCA, just 24 on Wednesday, cemented himself as a fan favorite with a first half last year that put him in the MVP conversation. Crow-Armstrong’s second-half flop didn’t deter the Cubs from extending him, though they already controlled him through 2030. As perhaps the game’s best defensive center fielder, PCA offers a high floor even if he can’t get his batting average up or learn to hit left-handed pitching.
Crow-Armstrong’s six-year extension begins in 2027, so it covers his four arbitration years plus his first two free agent seasons. If we assume around $40MM in potential arbitration earnings, each free agent year gets valued at around $37-38MM. That’s a hefty price, but as my colleague Steve Adams put it, the Cubs have a knack for getting players to give up an atypical number of free agent years (as in the cases of Hoerner and Ian Happ).
The PCA deal doesn’t really have a clear comp. Consider:
- Crow Armstrong: signed at age 24 with 1.170 Major League service, buys out four arbitration years and two free agent years covering age 25-30 for $115MM
- Jackson Merrill: signed at age 22 with 1.006 service, buys out one pre-arb year, three arb years, and as many as six free agent years covering age 23-32 for $156MM (if 2035 club option is exercised)
- Roman Anthony: signed at age 21.25 with 0.058 service, buys out three pre-arb years, three arb years, and as many as three free agent years covering age 22-30 for $160MM (if 2034 club option is exercised)
- Corbin Carroll: signed at age 22.57 with 0.038 service, buys out three pre-arb years, three arb years, and as many as three free agent years covering age 22-30 for $134MM (if 2031 club option is exercised)
- Tyler Soderstrom: signed at age 24.1 with 2.053 service, buys out one pre-arb year, three arb years, and as many as four free agent years covering age 24-31 for $111MM (if 2033 club option is exercised)
As you can see, none of these really match up with Crow-Armstrong, who signed a bit later in his career than most, gave up the fewest free agent years, gave up no club options, and like Anthony and Carroll preserved a shot at free agency heading into his age-31 season.
PCA was already part of the Cubs’ long-term outlook, but here’s how that looks at present (relievers excluded):
- Free agents after 2026: Hoerner, Suzuki, Happ, Imanaga, Taillon, Boyd, Carson Kelly
- Under control through 2027: Steele
- Under control through 2028: Cabrera
- Under control through 2029: Dansby Swanson, Busch, Miguel Amaya
- Under control through 2030: Bregman, Horton
- Under control through 2031: Moises Ballesteros, Shaw
- Under control through 2032: Crow-Armstrong
Barring further extensions, the Cubs might see something on the order of 17 WAR walk out the door after the 2026 season, plus four relievers. Throw a lockout into the mix, and the 2027 Cubs could look quite different when the dust eventually settles. They’ve certainly got the payroll flexibility to sign Hoerner and/or Suzuki. However, Hoerner could be somewhat difficult to value, and I’m not sure the Cubs will want to go further with a 32-year-old Suzuki. The Cubs may be left seeking a pair of corner outfielders, multiple starting pitchers, and several relievers next offseason.
Those are problems for another day. Though the PCA signing kicks in next year, the Cubs have pushed their 2026 payroll to new heights, passing the $244MM competitive balance tax threshold. They’ve built a strong team despite losing Tucker, though they probably face tougher competition from the rest of the NL Central than many realize. That includes needing to find a way to jump the Brewers, who have kept them second in the division for three straight seasons.
How would you grade the Cubs' offseason?
White Sox To Carry Rule 5 Pick Jedixson Paez On Opening Day Roster
The White Sox have informed Rule 5 draftee Jedixson Paez that he’ll break camp, reports Ari Alexander of Boston 7 News. The 22-year-old righty was the second pick in December’s Rule 5 draft, taken out of the Red Sox’s system.
Chicago was the only club to make two Rule 5 selections this year. Their second pick, Alexander Alberto, didn’t make the team and was offered back to the Rays last week. Paez sticks around despite giving up eight runs across 11 1/3 innings this spring. He recorded 11 strikeouts while allowing 12 hits and issuing five walks.
Paez has never pitched above the High-A level. He’s a development play for a rebuilding White Sox team. It’s rare for a player to have much immediate success when they jump beyond the top two minor league levels. The White Sox figure to pitch him mostly in mop-up situations. They’ll need to carry him on the MLB roster for the entire season to secure his contractual rights.
It’s a difficult challenge, but Paez’s long-term upside intrigues evaluators. Baseball America ranked him the #16 prospect in the Chicago system over the offseason, crediting him with potential plus-plus command. Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs wrote in December that Paez had the raw stuff and control to project as a potential #4 starter at his peak, though he faces questions about his durability. He was limited to 19 1/3 innings last season by a calf issue. He has thrown just over 300 innings in his professional career.
Paez is the sixth player from this year’s Rule 5 class who is confirmed to have made their clubs’ active rosters. Carter Baumler (Rangers), Ryan Watson (Red Sox), Matt Pushard (Cardinals), Peyton Pallette (Guardians) and Cade Winquest (Yankees) all made the team. Daniel Susac (Giants) and Roddery Muñoz (Astros) certainly seem to be trending in that direction as well.
Rockies draftee RJ Petit blew out this spring and underwent Tommy John surgery. He’ll be on the injured list all season. Griff McGarry, Zach McCambley and Alberto were all returned to their previous organizations. The only remaining borderline case is Blue Jays righty Spencer Miles, who awaits word on whether he secured the final spot in their season-opening bullpen. Toronto has already announced that 2024 Rule 5 selection Angel Bastardo, who missed all of last year to injury, will not break camp. He’ll be offered back to the Red Sox if he clears waivers.
Angels Announce 11 Roster Moves
The Angels announced nearly a dozen roster moves as they prepare their Opening Day lineup. The team confirmed the signing of lefty reliever Joey Lucchesi to a one-year free agent deal. They also selected veteran infielders Adam Frazier and Jeimer Candelario onto the big league roster.
Vaughn Grissom lands on the 10-day injured list with a sprained left wrist. Pitchers Ben Joyce (shoulder inflammation), Alek Manoah (middle finger contusion), Kirby Yates (left knee inflammation), and Grayson Rodriguez (shoulder inflammation) all land on the 15-day injured list. Those five placements are retroactive to March 22.
The Angels needed to open three spots on the 40-man roster for Lucchesi, Frazier and Candelario. Two of those are procedural moves, as Anthony Rendon and Robert Stephenson have been placed on the 60-day injured list. The one roster casualty of the whole series of transactions is left-handed reliever Jayvien Sandridge, who was designated for assignment.
Most of these transactions had either been announced or strongly telegraphed by prior moves. Frazier and Candelario were each expected to break camp after offseason minor league contracts. The former is ticketed for the majority of the playing time at second base. Frazier’s left-handed bat and plus contact skills make him a rarity in a heavily right-handed lineup. He hit .281 with a .452 on-base percentage this spring but has been a below-average hitter in four consecutive seasons. Frazier ran a .267/.319/.365 slash in 459 plate appearances between the Pirates and Royals a year ago.
Candelario, 32, returns to the majors after finishing last season in Triple-A in the Yankees system. The switch-hitter turned in a meager .207/.265/.394 line while battling various injuries over a season and a half with the Reds. He popped four homers this spring but struck out 17 times in 56 plate appearances.
Primarily a corner infielder, Candelario has also gotten acclimated to second base in camp. He’ll work as a backup infielder alongside the out-of-options Oswald Peraza behind Frazier and third baseman Yoán Moncada. The Angels will only pay him the $780K league minimum while he’s on the roster. The Reds are still covering the rest of his $13MM salary after releasing him last June.
Of the injured list assignments, only the Yates move comes as a surprise. The 39-year-old righty signed a $5MM free agent deal over the winter. That was the biggest investment the Halos made in a quiet offseason. Yates was one of a handful of reclamation fliers who’ll slot into the bullpen. He had been expected to share closing work with Jordan Romano and Drew Pomeranz. That’ll be on hold for at least the first 12 days of the regular season. Yates pitched four times this spring, allowing one earned run over four innings.
Joyce is still building back from last May’s shoulder procedure. He’s throwing but didn’t get into any games this spring. He’s not ready for MLB game action but should be back relatively early in the year. It’s an encouraging sign for his health that the Angels opted to designate someone for assignment rather than place Joyce on the 60-day IL.
Grissom is out of minor league options. His injury buys the Halos a little bit of time to determine whether they want to keep him on the roster or designate him for assignment. Rodriguez and Manoah entered camp as the projected fourth and fifth starters. Their continued injury issues will draw Jack Kochanowicz and Ryan Johnson into the final two rotation spots instead.
Sandridge came over from the Yankees in a cash trade in January. The 27-year-old southpaw pitched twice before being optioned early in camp. He allowed five runs over two innings. Sandridge gave up two runs while recording two outs in his lone major league appearance, which came as a Yankee last July. In Triple-A, he posted a 4.55 ERA with huge strikeout stuff (33.1%) but too many walks (12%). The Angels have five days to trade him or try to run him through waivers.
Cubs Select Dylan Carlson
9:23pm: Chicago has selected Carlson’s contract and placed Austin on the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man roster spot, according to the MLB.com transaction log.
12:45pm: The Cubs are going to select outfielder Dylan Carlson to their roster before Opening Day, reports Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. Carlson will unlock the $2MM salary on his deal by getting the call. Bastian adds that infielder/outfielder Scott Kingery is travelling with the team and will likely get a spot as well, though the club is still monitoring external possibilities for the final spot on their bench. The Cubs also plan to select outfielder Michael Conforto, meaning they will need to open at least two 40-man spots and potentially a third. Outfielder Kevin Alcántara has been optioned and will start the season at Triple-A Iowa.
A few spring injuries have opened up some playing time for the Cubs. They began camp projected for three bench spots to go to Tyler Austin, Miguel Amaya and Matt Shaw, with an opening for an outfielder. Austin required knee surgery and is going to be on the injured list for months. Seiya Suzuki has a knee sprain and will also start the season on the IL. Those injuries have opened enough space for Conforto, Carlson and perhaps even Kingery to crack the roster.
Carlson, 27, was once one of the top prospects in the league for the Cardinals. A few years ago, he seemed to be cementing himself as a key piece of the St. Louis outfield but his results have tapered off in recent seasons. He has a combined .210/.294/.314 batting line since the start of 2023. His once-strong defensive grades have also slipped recently. He bounced to the Rays and Orioles, with Baltimore cutting him loose at the end of last year.
After those struggles, he had to settle for a minor league deal with the Cubs coming into 2026. He has had a good camp, putting up a .304/.429/.413 line. That got a lot of help from a .433 batting average on balls in play and he also posted a concerning 26.8% strikeout rate, but on the positive side, he drew a walk in 14.3% of his plate appearances.
Carlson is a switch hitter and may be used in a short-side platoon role. He has a .274/.347/.410 line against lefties in his career, compared to a .217/.298/.356 performance against righties. Conforto is a lefty bat with better career numbers against righties. Between the two, perhaps they can form a decent cover for Suzuki’s absence. When Suzuki is back, they both may lose playing time, but Carlson could still spell lefties like Michael Busch, Moisés Ballesteros and Pete Crow-Armstrong on occasion.
Kingery, 32 in April, was also in camp on a minor league deal. He has never hit much in the majors, with a career .227/.278/.382 line. He didn’t show much better during spring action, slashing .208/.345/.333. But he provides a lot of defensive versatility. He has experience at every position on the diamond except first base and catcher. He is also optionable and could be sent down the minors once Suzuki is healthy.
It should be known in about 24 hours if he gets a spot or not. Though only two teams are playing tomorrow, all teams have to submit their Opening Day rosters. There tends to be a lot of roster shuffling ahead of Opening Day as players opt out of contracts and others get squeezed off roster spots. Perhaps the Cubs will find someone they like better than Kingery to plug in. They don’t strictly need his versatility since Shaw is expected to play a multi-positional role off the bench, so perhaps they can find someone with a bit more offensive punch.
Alcántara is one of the club’s top prospects but there are concerns about his hit tool. He has been punched out in almost 30% of his plate appearances. Just now in camp, he struck out at a 32.6% pace. With the Suzuki injury, the Cubs could have given him some run in the big leagues but sending him for some more seasoning in Triple-A is also defensible.
Ideally, he’ll find some improvement in his bat to ball skills this year. He is slated to be out of options next year. The Cubs are slated to have Suzuki, Carlson, Conforto and Ian Happ all reach free agency after this season, leaving them with just Crow-Armstrong in their 2027 outfield. It would be great if Alcántara could step up and fill one of those openings but he’ll likely need to make more contact for that to be viable.
Photo courtesy of Rick Scuteri, Imagn Images
Orioles To Designate Bryan Ramos For Assignment
The Orioles are designating corner infielder Bryan Ramos for assignment, reports Francys Romero. He’s out of minor league options, so he needed to win an MLB job or be removed from the 40-man roster.
Ramos had an uphill path to a job. He had already been taken off the roster three times over the offseason. The O’s acquired him from the White Sox in January. Baltimore tried to get him through waivers a week later. The Cardinals placed a claim but designated him themselves less than two weeks after that. The Orioles brought him back on a waiver claim.
The 24-year-old Ramos put his best foot forward this spring. He hit .316 with a home run and three doubles in 42 trips to the plate. However, Ramos has slashed just .198/.244/.333 over 120 regular season plate appearances at the big league level. He’s coming off a rough season in Triple-A, batting .216/.309/.396 with 16 homers across 105 games with the White Sox’s top affiliate.
Baltimore will officially designate Ramos for assignment tomorrow morning when they announce their Opening Day roster. They’ll have five days after that to trade him or place him back on waivers. Blaze Alexander and Coby Mayo will draw into the starting lineup at second and third base, respectively, due to the Jackson Holliday and Jordan Westburg injuries. Ryan Mountcastle, Tyler O’Neill and Leody Taveras are locked into bench spots. Jeremiah Jackson or non-roster outfielder Weston Wilson are options for the final bench role.
Giants Likely To Designate Luis Matos For Assignment
The Giants are planning to designate outfielder Luis Matos for assignment, reports Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle. She adds that minor league signee Jared Oliva is expected to break camp in a bench role, so he’ll take Matos’ spot on the active and 40-man rosters.
Matos is out of minor league options. Formerly one of the organization’s top position player prospects, he was one of the most intriguing players fighting to hold his 40-man spot this spring. The Giants gave him a look long in camp, as he led the team with 23 games and 55 plate appearances.
After a quick start, Matos’ bat cooled in the middle of March. He finished the spring with a .260/.327/.440 line with two home runs. Matos only struck out three times but also took just one walk, as his on-base percentage was propped up by getting plunked by four pitches.
That aggressiveness has undercut Matos’ production in meaningful games. He’s a .231/.281/.369 hitter over parts of three MLB seasons. Matos has taken just under 600 plate appearances, the rough equivalent to one full season of playing time. He has hit 15 homers with strong contact rates but has worked walks at a modest 6.1% clip.
The Giants can wait until tomorrow morning to officially designate Matos for assignment. They’ll then have five days to try to trade him. If nothing comes together, they’d need to place him on waivers. There’s a decent chance he’ll be claimed, as he’s a 24-year-old former notable prospect who owns a .287/.345/.505 line over three Triple-A seasons. If another team acquires him via trade or waivers, they’d need to carry him on the big league roster.
Matos’ exclusion means the Giants will probably carry Jerar Encarnacion. He’s also an out-of-options outfielder who fits best in a corner or at designated hitter. He can get regular playing time at DH with Bryce Eldridge opening the season in the minors. San Francisco optioned depth outfielders Will Brennan and Drew Gilbert to Triple-A Sacramento this evening.
Rule 5 pick Daniel Susac is expected to win the backup catcher job. Casey Schmitt and Christian Koss seem ticketed for utility infield roles. That’ll very likely leave Oliva as a fifth outfielder and backup center fielder behind Harrison Bader. Assuming he’s officially selected onto the roster tomorrow, it’ll be his first MLB work in five years.
Oliva played in 26 big league games with the Pirates between 2020-21. He has bounced around the upper minors for the past few seasons without returning to the big league level. Oliva had a league average .252/.335/.413 batting line with 57 stolen bases in Triple-A with the Milwaukee organization last year. He signed a minor league deal with San Francisco over the winter and seized a job with his continued aggressiveness on the bases.
The righty-hitting outfielder stole 14 bags in 15 attempts. His .375 average over 20 games is unlikely to be a precursor to much of an impact at the plate, but the Giants are opting for more speed and defense in the final bench spot than Matos would have provided.
Nick Lodolo To Open Season On Injured List
The Reds will place starter Nick Lodolo on the 15-day injured list to begin the year, reports Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer. The southpaw joins Hunter Greene in starting the season on the shelf.
Greene will miss most or all of the first half after undergoing surgery to remove bone chips from his elbow. Lodolo’s issue is far less concerning. He’s dealing with a blister on his index finger, which forced him out of his start on Sunday after 10 pitches. A season-opening IL stint can be backdated by three days, meaning he’ll be eligible to return 13 days into the regular season.
It’ll probably be close to a minimal stint, though it’s nevertheless frustrating for Lodolo to miss at least one or two turns through the rotation. Lodolo has a history of blister issues. This will be the third consecutive season in which one sends him to the injured list. He had a minimal absence in 2024 and missed around three weeks last August.
Andrew Abbott makes his first career Opening Day start opposite Garrett Crochet and the Red Sox on Thursday. Lodolo had been slated to start the second game of the season, followed by Brady Singer in the series finale. They’ll now likely bump Singer up to Saturday and have Rhett Lowder take the ball to close the Boston series. Chase Burns and Brandon Williamson round out the starting five and can open next week’s series against the Pirates.
Manager Terry Francona announced last week that Lowder, Burns and Williamson had all made the team. The Reds weren’t planning a six-man rotation but could have used Burns and Williamson as tandem starters or swing options. They’ll instead work as more traditional starters until Lodolo is healthy, which will open a spot in the bullpen. Kyle Nicolas was their most recent bullpen cut and could be brought back up. Julian Aguiar or Chase Petty are other possibilities for a long relief role.
Cubs, Pete Crow-Armstrong Agree To Extension
March 24th: It’s a six-year deal starting in 2027 worth $115MM, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN. That means it buys out Crow-Armstrong’s four arbitration seasons and what would have been his first two free agent years. There are no options in the deal. Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that Crow-Armstrong can unlock an extra $18MM via escalators.
March 23rd: The Cubs and star center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong are finalizing an extension, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN. Once the deal is complete, the Cubs will have one of the sport’s best defensive players signed for the long haul. Crow-Armstrong is a CAA client.
Chicago tried to get a deal done with Crow-Armstrong during last year’s Spring Training. He was coming off a modest .237/.286/.384 season as a rookie, but the Cubs clearly felt he had another gear offensively. There has never been any doubt regarding his elite center field defense.
The sides couldn’t reach an agreement last spring. Crow-Armstrong’s asking price has certainly jumped 12 months later. He took a huge step forward from a power perspective, connecting on 31 home runs with 72 extra-base hits. He stole 35 bases, making him one of seven players to go 30-30 last year. He also led all outfielders with 24 Outs Above Average, while tying for second among center fielders (behind Ceddanne Rafaela) with 15 Defensive Runs Saved.
For a good portion of the season, Crow-Armstrong looked to be on track for a top three MVP finish. He was on an offensive tear for four months, hitting 27 homers with a .272/.309/.559 slash line through the end of July. His bat went ice cold to close the season, as he stumbled to a .188/.237/.295 mark over his final 200 trips to the plate.
The tough finish “dropped” Crow-Armstrong to ninth in NL MVP balloting. He deservedly earned his first All-Star selection and Gold Glove. He finished the season as a slightly above-average hitter, posting a .247/.287/.481 line across 647 plate appearances. Crow-Armstrong had a tough postseason (batting .185 without an extra-base hit in eight games) but was much better this spring while playing for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.
Crow-Armstrong’s late-season slump highlights the remaining concerns about his offensive consistency. He’s one of the most aggressive hitters in the league, swinging at nearly 60% of the pitches he has seen in his career. No other player who took 500 plate appearances last year swung more often.
Only Yainer Diaz and Michael Harris II more frequently chased pitches outside the strike zone. As a result, Crow-Armstrong has walked in fewer than 5% of his career plate appearances. He has gone down on strikes at a slightly elevated 24% rate. The approach leaves him with a low floor from an OBP perspective that’ll probably continue leading to a streaky offensive game.
At the same time, Crow-Armstrong clearly has a ceiling that few players in the league can match. The glove isn’t going to slump. He’s an elite runner and athlete with a fantastic arm and an excellent first step. The defense alone would give him a high floor even if he had minimal offensive upside. Crow-Armstrong can carry a lineup when he’s going well, as he showed for the first two-thirds of last season. He has above-average bat speed and plus power, particularly against right-handed pitching.
The lefty hitter posted a .271/.315/.523 mark with 24 homers when holding the platoon advantage. He struggled against southpaws, batting .188/.217/.376 with seven longballs in 188 plate appearances. The defense is so good that the Cubs won’t use him as a platoon player, but they’re surely hoping to see more competitive at-bats against lefties.
It’s possible that’ll come with experience. Crow-Armstrong is entering his age-24 season. It’s unlikely he’s ever going to become a patient hitter, but it’s fair to project him some improvements to his selectivity as he gets into his mid 20s. If he plateaus at 10-15 percent better than average offensively, he’d remain one of the better all-around players in the National League. FanGraphs and Baseball Reference each valued him around 5-6 wins above replacement a year ago. Crow-Armstrong’s all-out playing style has also made him a favorite of the fanbase and arguably the face of the franchise.
Crow-Armstrong is two days shy of having two full years of service time. He would have qualified for early arbitration as a Super Two player next offseason. He was five years away from reaching free agency, when he would have hit the market at age 29.
Jackson Merrill’s nine-year, $135MM extension with the Padres last spring is the top guarantee for a player with between one and two years of MLB service. Merrill and Crow-Armstrong have similar profiles as star center fielders with power but some on-base concerns. Crow-Armstrong is the superior defender, though Merrill is a very good outfielder in his own right. The latter probably has a slightly higher offensive floor because he makes more contact.
Merrill was a year younger than Crow-Armstrong is now. He was not on track to qualify as a Super Two player, but he was trending towards hitting free agency by age 27. Merrill probably left some money on the table, though his deal is the most obvious comparison point for talks between the Cubs and Crow-Armstrong’s camp. Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that the Cubs’ 2025 offer was for $66MM. If he matches or exceeds the Merrill contract, he’d more than double that sum.
The Cubs have two nine-figure contracts on the books with the Dansby Swanson and Alex Bregman deals. RosterResource projects them right around the $244MM base luxury tax threshold. Assuming the extension goes into effect this season, their CBT number would jump significantly even if it’s a backloaded contract. The deal’s average annual value is the relevant number for tax purposes, and that’ll obviously be much higher than the pre-arbitration salary which Crow-Armstrong had been set to make. The Cubs would pay a 20% tax on overages between $244MM and $264MM, then a 32% charge between $264MM and $284MM.
Chicago’s long-term outfield is wide open. Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ are on track to hit free agency next offseason. Nico Hoerner, Shota Imanaga, Matthew Boyd and Jameson Taillon are also slated to hit the market, and the Cubs surely aren’t bringing everybody back. They traded Owen Caissie to the Marlins as a centerpiece of the Edward Cabrera return. Prospect Kevin Alcántara has power but concerning strikeout rates. Crow-Armstrong would have been in center field either way, but there could be a fair amount of turnover around him in the Wrigley outfield a year from now.
Image courtesy of Rick Scuteri, Imagn Images.
Angels To Sign Joey Lucchesi
The Angels are going to sign left-hander Joey Lucchesi, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post. Heyman adds that the CAA Sports client is expected to be on the Opening Day roster, suggesting it’s a major league deal. That would mean the Halos would need a corresponding 40-man move. They have some candidates to move to the 60-day injured list, with Anthony Rendon being an obvious one, but they may also need spots for Adam Frazier and Jeimer Candelario if they plan to roster those guys.
Lucchesi, 33 in June, was in camp with the Giants on a minor league deal as of a few days ago. He was granted his release, which may or may not have involved him triggering an opt-out in that deal. Regardless, he was back on the open market and the Halos have scooped him up.
The southpaw has been a starter or swingman for most of his career. 2025 was his first big league season where he pitched exclusively as a reliever. He averaged just under 93 miles per hour with both his four-seamer and his sinker while also throwing a low-80s splitter and high-70s curveball. He gave the Giants 38 1/3 innings over 38 appearances, allowing 3.76 earned runs per nine frames. His 18.8% strikeout rate was subpar but his 7.3% walk rate was good and he induced grounders on 53% of balls in play.
The Giants could have retained Lucchesi for 2026 via arbitration, with MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projecting him for a $2MM salary. Instead, they non-tendered him and then re-signed him to a minor league deal that would have paid him $1.5MM in the majors. As mentioned, they released him from that pact a few days ago.
The Angels signed Kirby Yates, Jordan Romano, Drew Pomeranz and Brent Suter to free agent deals this offseason. No one in that group can be optioned to the minors. Chase Silseth is out of options. Guys like Ryan Zeferjahn, Sam Bachman and Walbert Ureña seemed to be trending to Opening Day jobs but all three can be optioned. Perhaps one of them will get bumped to the minors to make room for Lucchesi, though knocking out Silseth could be a way for the club to open a 40-man spot.
Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images
Orioles Sign Elvis Peguero To Two-Year Minor League Deal
The Orioles announced that they have signed right-hander Elvis Peguero to a minor league deal covering the 2026 and 2027 seasons. He has been assigned to the Triple-A Norfolk Tides, though his current health status is unclear.
Two-year minor league deals are normally signed when a pitcher is facing a lengthy injury absence, often due to a notable procedure such as Tommy John surgery. These types of deals allow the pitcher to rehab using a team’s facilities while collecting a paycheck. For the team, they know they will get little or no return on that investment in the near term but the hope is that the deal pays off when the pitcher is healthy in the second year.
There hasn’t been any public reporting about Peguero undergoing surgery recently. The White Sox did put him on the 15-day injured list in August due to a right elbow strain. He stayed there through the end of the campaign. He was outrighted off the roster in October and became a free agent shortly thereafter. Perhaps the Orioles will reveal more information about Peguero’s status soon.
Over the past five seasons, Peguero has pitched for the Angels, Brewers and White Sox. He’s essentially been a two-pitch guy with an upper-90s sinker and a low-90s slider. He has allowed 4.26 earned runs per nine innings. His 19.5% strikeout rate and 10.8% walk rate are both a bit worse than average but he has induced grounders on 54.3% of balls in play.
He exhausted his final option season in 2025, meaning he will be out of options going forward. If he can eventually earn a roster spot and hold it, he can be retained for several years via arbitration. His service time count is currently at two years and 136 days.
Photo courtesy of Matt Marton, Imagn Images