1 Cub could be on non-tender chopping block after Shota Imanaga contract decision

Friday is the deadline for the Chicago Cubs to tender contracts to their arbitration-eligible players, and as we have already discussed, the decisions seem straightforward. Justin Steele is a lock to be tendered a contract, and it wouldn't make all that much sense for the team to tender a contract to veteran catcher Reese McGuire. Given the minor-league options at hand, it would also seem that Eli Morgan and Javier Assad are likely to be tendered contracts.

However, Shota Imanaga accepting the Cubs' qualifying offer may shift the thinking when it comes to Assad. As it stands, the Cubs' rotation currently includes Cade Horton, Matthew Boyd, Jameson Taillon, and Imanaga. In theory, before Steele were to return, the fifth starter's spot could go to Assad or Colin Rea. If the end of the 2025 season was any indication, it would be Rea.

Once Steele does return, sometime after Opening Day, Rea would be pushed to serving as a swing-man out of the bullpen. That further complicates Assad's role, who doesn't quite have the pitch arsenal to be a high-leverage, one-inning pitcher. Of course, the Cubs, even with Imanaga returning, are planning on a high-ceiling starting pitcher to their rotation this offseason.

Javier Assad may survive the non-tender deadline but his days with the Chicago Cubs might be numbered.

If that happens, Assad is pushed further down the team's depth chart. At the very least, we know that if the Cubs are faced with deciding to keep Assad on the Major League pitching staff or someone with swing-and-miss stuff like Ben Brown, they are always going to choose the option where they aren't relying on a pitcher to pitch above their underlying metrics. In other words, the Cubs seem to be aware of the fact that Assad's luck may be running out.

Again, Assad has minor-league options remaining and is only projected to make $1.9MM next season. With the need the Cubs have for pitching depth, it would make very little sense for them to simply non-tender. Assad. That said, if the Cubs reach spring training and there has been the arrival of a top-of-the-rotation arm, several additions to the bullpen, and Steele is on track, Assad likely will be in his final days with the team.