The non-tender of Tauchman is a bit of a surprise.
Well, this one surprises me:
Cubs have non-tendered OF Mike Tauchman and IF Nick Madrigal.
LHP Justin Steele, 3B Isaac Parades, RHP Nate Pearson and RHP Eli Morgan have been tendered contracts.
Cubs also agreed to terms with RHPs Julian Merryweather and Keegan Thompson and C Matt Thaiss.
— Meghan Montemurro (@mmontemurro.bsky.social) 2024-11-23T01:12:52.288Z
(Apple News readers click here for the Bluesky post)
I was convinced the Cubs would keep Mike Tauchman on the roster for 2025, but now they’ll go in a different direction for a backup outfielder.
Tauchman has been a solid reserve outfielder for the Cubs for the last two seasons, though his numbers weren’t quite as good in 2024 as they were in 2023. Overall in 217 games for the Cubs, Tauchman batted .250/.360/.372 with 15 home runs, 13 stolen bases and 114 runs scored.
And we will never forget this play [VIDEO].
I wish Tauchman well, wherever he winds up in 2025.
Here are some numbers for Matt Thaiss and Julian Merryweather.
Per this Associated Press article, Thaiss, acquired from the Angels on Wednesday, signed for $1 million for 2025.
The Cubs also kept Merryweather around for another year:
The Cubs avoided arbitration with pitcher Julian Merryweather, a source tells ESPN. He’ll make 1.225 mil next season.
— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) November 23, 2024
Merryweather made $1.175 million in 2024. If healthy, he can be a useful setup man.
Nick Madrigal was the fourth overall pick in the first round of the draft by the White Sox in 2018. For reference, that was the same round the Cubs took Nico Hoerner with the 24th pick.
Madrigal did hit reasonably well in 83 games with the Sox (.317/.358/.406) before the Cubs acquired him (and Codi Heuer) in the big 2021 selloff for Craig Kimbrel.
But Madrigal suffered a couple of hamstring injuries that hampered his time with the Cubs and in three seasons he batted .251/.304/.312 in 202 games. He turns 28 in March and will probably land somewhere. Who knows, maybe the Sox will take him back.
This also means that someone else will be playing second base for the Cubs if Hoerner is not ready for Opening Day.
The Cubs’ 40-man roster now has 38 players, with two open spots for waiver claims, trades or free-agent signings. It also leaves four players — Eli Morgan, Isaac Paredes, Nate Pearson and Justin Steele — awaiting a deal or they’ll go to an arbitration hearing. I’d think it’s likely all four will sign before the deadline, which is January 10.
As always, we await developments.