The Cubs enter 2025 with an excellent opportunity to make the playoffs for the first time under Jed Hoyer. Cody Bellinger‘s decision will help determine Hoyer’s path, but the club will be seeking help at catcher and in the rotation and bullpen.
Guaranteed Contracts
- Dansby Swanson, SS: $132MM through 2029
- Ian Happ, LF: $38MM through 2026
- Seiya Suzuki, DH/RF: $36MM through 2026
- Jameson Taillon, SP: $36MM through 2026
- Nico Hoerner, 2B: $23.5MM through 2026
- Shota Imanaga, SP: $13MM through 2025, then a $57MM three-year club option or $15MM player option
Option Decisions
- Cody Bellinger, RF/CF/DH/1B: $27.5MM player option with a $2.5MM buyout. Also has a $25MM player option for ’26 with a $5MM buyout
- Drew Smyly, RP: $10MM mutual option with a $2.5MM buyout
Arbitration-Eligible Players (service time in parentheses; salary projections via Matt Swartz)
- Yency Almonte (5.143): $2.2MM
- Christian Bethancourt (5.023): $2.5MM
- Mike Tauchman (4.143): $2.9MM
- Julian Merryweather (4.109): $1.3MM
- Nick Madrigal (4.087): $1.9MM
- Patrick Wisdom (4.058): $3MM
- Adbert Alzolay (4.050): $2.3MM
- Trey Wingenter (4.049): $1.4MM
- Nate Pearson (4.005): $1.4MM
- Isaac Paredes (3.160): $6.9MM
- Justin Steele (3.143): $6.4MM
- Jimmy Herget (3.069): $900K
- Colten Brewer (3.063): $800K
- Keegan Thompson (3.006): $1MM
- Non-tender candidates: Almonte, Bethancourt, Merryweather, Madrigal, Wisdom, Alzolay, Wingenter, Herget, Brewer
Free Agents
The Cubs’ splashy hiring of Craig Counsell last November had minimal impact this year, as the club posted the same 83-79 record it had under David Ross in 2023. A 17-10 April record created some optimism, but the Cubs went 65-67 thereafter and were mostly out of the playoff race by July. Let’s take a look around the Cubs’ roster and figure out how president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer might go about creating a 90-win team for 2025, a particularly ripe opportunity with the Cardinals taking a rare step back.
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