Nov. 22 is the deadline to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible and pre-arb players.
After Tuesday’s two Cubs DFAs (Adbert Alzolay and Brennen Davis) to make room for two players (Owen Caissie and Ben Cowles) the team wanted to protect from the Rule 5 Draft, the 40-man roster is once again full.
That, obviously, isn’t going to stay that way for long. The Cubs will want room on the 40-man roster for trades, free-agent signings and waiver claims.
This Friday gives them the opportunity to do that. That day is the day to tender 2025 contracts to all arbitration-eligible and pre-arb players, commonly called the “non-tender deadline.” The official deadline comes up Friday at 6 p.m. CT.
The following players on the 40-man are arbitration-eligible:
Nick Madrigal
Julian Merryweather
Isaac Paredes
Nate Pearson
Justin Steele
Mike Tauchman
Keegan Thompson
Trey Wingenter
Patrick Wisdom
That’s nine arb-eligible players.
Three will be tendered for sure: Paredes, Pearson and Steele.
That leaves six others about whom there’s a question, in my view: Madrigal, Merryweather, Tauchman, Thompson, Wingenter and Wisdom.
Those players have the following projected 2025 salaries (via MLB Trade Rumors).
Madrigal: $1.9 million
Merryweather: $1.3 million
Tauchman: $2.9 million
Thompson: $1 million
Wingenter: $1.4 million
Wisdom: $3 million
The only player on that list of six who I think will be tendered is Mike Tauchman. He is versatile, he’s a good pinch hitter, a good clubhouse guy and Craig Counsell likes him. Some here have suggested giving that role to Owen Caissie or Kevin Alcántara, and in my view that’s not the right thing to do with those players. Neither is accustomed to a bench role, and to have them sit around and pinch-hit a couple of times a week in what would essentially be the first MLB season for both (yes, Alcántara has a handful of MLB games from 2024, but no real meaningful action) isn’t good for either them or the team. Both should start 2025 at Triple-A Iowa.
Nick Madrigal and Patrick Wisdom have outlived their usefulness to this team. Wisdom’s home runs were fun — he hit 84 of them as a Cub, which is tied for 34th on the franchise list with Ron Cey and Moose Moryn — but he’s now 33 and not good defensively. I wish him well. Madrigal simply couldn’t stay healthy and the Cubs can find another suitable backup infielder.
That leaves three relievers: Julian Merryweather, Keegan Thompson and Trey Wingenter. I suppose Merryweather could be kept, but I also think someone like him could be found on the waiver wire, or maybe even in the system. The same is true for Thompson and Wingenter. Just three years ago, some were talking about Thompson and Steele as on similar paths in the organization. Now Steele is a solid rotation starter and Thompson could be on the cusp of not being in MLB at all.
If the Cubs do as I’ve suggested here, they will have five open spots on the 40-man roster. That seems about right going into late November and early December.