The team has many decisions to make.
Last week, I posted this article about the 14 (!) players the Cubs have who are arbitration-eligible for 2025. In the poll attached to that article, 57 percent of you said the Cubs would non-tender at least seven of those players, with some commenting that it might be as many as nine.
So I thought I’d expand that by taking a look at every single player on the 40-man roster and his contract status for 2025. The team will want to leave room to protect some players from the Rule 5 Draft, as well as leaving room for potential waiver claims and free-agent signings.
There are actually more than 40 players to consider. The current Cubs 40-man roster lists 48 players — yes, there are eight men on the 60-day injured list. All eight will either have to be added back to the 40-man or let go within five days after the World Series ends.
Here are all 48 players and their status, and if there’s any question about what to do with them, that’s also noted.
Pitchers (28)
Yency Almonte: He had surgery late in 2024 and will likely miss most of the 2025 season. As noted in the other article, he could be non-tendered and re-signed to a new deal, perhaps for two years.
Adbert Alzolay: Pretty much the same situation to Almonte, Alzolay had Tommy John surgery this year and won’t pitch for most of 2025. A similar deal to the one proposed above for Almonte might work.
Michael Arias: Has talent, but walked a huge number of people (7.2 per nine innings) at Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa this year. He’s only 22 and might stick in the minor leagues again in 2025.
Javier Assad: One more pre-arb season in 2025.
Colten Brewer: Will almost certainly be non-tendered.
Ben Brown: Here’s hoping for a healthy 2025 for Brown, who could be a great bullpen weapon in 2025.
Kyle Hendricks: He’s a free agent, and personally I hope he retires. That would make the memory of his last 2024 game for the Cubs even sweeter.
Jimmy Herget: Will almost certainly be non-tendered.
Porter Hodge: A key part of the 2025 bullpen and with several years of team control remaining. Personally, I’d like to see him continue at closer.
Gavin Hollowell: Has options remaining, so he’s likely to stick around over the winter.
Shōta Imanaga: Under contract for four more years (depending on option exercises).
Caleb Kilian: One option year remaining, under team control for two more years.
Luke Little: His lat injury did not require surgery, so hopefully he can come back for 2025. He has two option years remaining.
Jorge López: He’s a free agent. I would not be opposed to bringing him back, depending on salary.
Julian Merryweather: Out of options and frequently injured, he’s arb-eligible. I would not be surprised to see him non-tendered, possibly brought back on a different sort of contract.
Tyson Miller: Had a good year and is out of options. He wouldn’t be expensive to keep for 2025, as he’s not arb-eligible until 2027.
Jack Neely: He has talent, but didn’t show it much at the MLB level. He’ll stick on the 40-man, though.
Daniel Palencia: See Neely.
Enoli Paredes: Threw well enough in his one game for another look. The Cubs might try to sneak him through waivers, as he’s out of options.
Nate Pearson: This could wind up as a very good trade. Pearson has options remaining, but he’s likely going to stick on the MLB roster. He is arb-eligible for 2025.
Ethan Roberts: Had some good outings and some bad outings in his first year back from Tommy John surgery. Often, pitchers like this do better in the second year. He is arb-eligible and has two option years remaining.
Drew Smyly: He’s a free agent. See ya.
Justin Steele: He’s arb-eligible and the Cubs should probably sign him to a long-term deal this winter, though he is under team control for three more years.
Jameson Taillon: Under contract for two more years at $18 million per year, pretty reasonable if he can repeat his 2024 season.
Keegan Thompson: He’s out of options and pretty much every time he’s called up, he gives peeks at great performance, only to blow up on occasion. He turns 30 in March and I can see the Cubs non-tendering him.
Hayden Wesneski: He has one more year of pre-arb, and one option year left. For now, he’s not going anywhere.
Jordan Wicks: Two more years of team control before arbitration, and has options remaining, but if he’s healthy, could be a key part of the 2025 rotation.
Trey Wingenter: Will almost certainly be non-tendered.
Catchers (3)
Miguel Amaya: Two more years of team control before he’s arb-eligible.
Christian Bethancourt: Did well enough, but is arb-eligible and 33. I’d guess he’ll be non-tendered, as Jed Hoyer has identified catching as an area they want to improve.
Caleb Knight: Was added to the 40-man and immediately optioned to Iowa, likely as a thank-you for six years of work in the Cubs system. He’ll be non-tendered or released.
Infielders (9)
Michael Busch: Two more years of team control before he’s arb-eligible, and five years till he’s a free agent.
Nico Hoerner: Under contract through 2026 at a reasonable rate.
Nick Madrigal: Will almost certainly be non-tendered.
Miles Mastrobuoni: There has to be a guy like this available who can hit better, though Mastrobuoni fields and runs reasonably well. He has two more years at pre-arb rates, and an option year remaining.
Matt Mervis: Has an option year left, but no real place on this team. I suspect he’ll be gone.
Isaac Paredes: He’s arb-eligible for 2025 and under team control through 2027.
Dansby Swanson: Five years remain on the seven-year deal he signed before the 2023 season.
Luis Vázquez: A decision must be made here. Could he be a better backup infielder than Mastrobuoni? Then keep him. Otherwise I don’t really see the point.
Patrick Wisdom: His home runs can be fun, but I don’t see a spot for him here, especially since he’s arb-eligible. Another likely non-tender.
Outfielders (8)
Kevin Alcántara: A very good prospect with two option years remaining.
Cody Bellinger: We’ll know within five days after the World Series ends whether he’s returning or not. I think he will stay and NOT opt out. “As always, we await developments.”
Alexander Canario: There doesn’t seem to be a place for him. Could be included in a trade this winter.
Pete Crow-Armstrong: Two more years of pre-arb and five years remaining under team control. If he takes a big step forward in 2025, sign him to a long-term extension.
Brennen Davis: I don’t think there’s anyone most Cubs fans would like to see stay healthy and succeed. But I can see them non-tendering him to move him off the 40-man and bringing him back on a minor-league deal. He has one option year remaining, though.
Ian Happ: Under contract for two more years at a reasonable rate.
Seiya Suzuki: Under contract for two more years at a reasonable rate.
Mike Tauchman: Arbitration eligible and should absolutely be retained, as he performs a useful function on this roster and won’t be expensive.
So of the 48 players, there will be three gone from the 40-man for sure as free agents (Hendricks, López, Smyly) and, in my view, as many as 14 others who could be non-tendered or released. Doing all that would leave 31 players on the 40-man.
There are only two players who likely really need to be added to the 40-man to protect them from the Rule 5 Draft. One, obviously, is Owen Caissie. The other is Ben Cowles, who the Cubs thought enough of to send to the Arizona Fall League.
If that happens, the Cubs would enter the trade/free-agent season with 33 players on the 40-man roster, thus having seven spots open for waiver claims, trades or free-agent signings.
That’s how I see it. What say you?