2 ways the Cubs can keep early 2025 Spring Training folk hero in the organization

Chicago Cubs third baseman Gage Workman has started his 2025 season with a bang by turning heads in his first two Spring Training games.

Since Workman came to the Cubs as a Rule 5 draft selectee and is subject to obscure and wonky roster restrictions, here is how he can fit into the team's 2025 plans.

1. Make a trade with Detroit

Right now, the Cubs are only allowed to keep Workman on their active 26-man roster, and he needs to stay there for the entirety of the 2025 season if the Cubs want to keep him long-term. This obviously makes roster construction a bit complicated if one guy always needs to have a spot, especially if Workman isn't ready to handle the big leagues just yet. After all, he hasn't even played a game at the Triple-A level yet.

But the Cubs can avoid playing by these rules if they make a trade with the Detroit Tigers, the team they selected Workman from last December. If the clubs agree to a deal, where the Cubs send someone to the Tigers in exchange for the full rights to Workman's contract, they will have the ability to option Workman to the Minor Leagues just like any other player. Since Workman hasn't played in MLB yet, he would have all 3 options left on his deal if the Cubs were to strike a deal with Detroit.

The question becomes what is Workman worth, and what are the Cubs willing to give up to keep him? It's tricky because the 25-year-old doesn't have anything above the Double-A level to show for. We know that he is an elite defender at third base, and the Cubs could really use depth at that position right now. We also know that he abandoned switch-hitting last year, which resulted in him posting a career year with the bat with the Tigers' Double-A affiliate. In 126 games, Workman hit 18 home runs and scored 85 times, with a 140 wRC+.

2. Try to keep him on the active roster

This option depends on how Workman plays the rest of Spring Training. He needs to really earn one of those bench spots to warrant staying on the roster, and even if that happens, he's going to need to keep it. That's a lot of pressure to put on a guy who hasn't even seen Major League pitching yet.

There are only four bench spots available, and one of them will go to newly acquired first baseman/DH Justin Turner. Another is reserved for the team's backup catcher Carson Kelly. And the other two spots will probably be a competition between Workman, Jon Berti, and Vidal Brujan. There are about three weeks left until the final roster crunch happens and the team flies to Japan, but so far, Workman has been the best out of all three. In addition to an opposite-field blast (off a left-handed pitcher), he has made a couple of impressive defensive plays at the hot corner.

Meanwhile, Berti airmailed two throws while playing third base on Friday and is not even on the same planet in terms of defense as Workman. But Berti has more positiono versatility and speed than Workman, as does Brujan. It's going to be a tough call either way, especially when you consider that the team traded Matt Mervis for Brujan (and he has zero minor league options left) and gave a major league contract worth $1 million to Berti.

Workman will have to really kick it into high gear over the next few weeks if he wants to be a Cub and I hope the team finds a way to keep him. His defense is electric and he can also be a backup for Dansby Swanson at shortstop. Given his 6'4 stature, Workman could also probably play first base as well if he needed to. It's all a matter of how well he can hit.