5 Cubs players you may have forgotten were on the 2024 Opening Day roster

The Chicago Cubs' front office has retooled the team's roster fairly significantly in the past year, with the bench and bullpen taking an entirely different look.

With these changes in mind, let's look back on some players many Cubs fans may have forgotten were on the Opening Day roster one year ago.

RHP Mark Leiter Jr.

2024 was Mark Leiter Jr.'s final season with the Cubs after two full seasons in the bullpen as a lefty specialist. Although he pitched well in Chicago, accumulating a 3.85 ERA in blue pinstripes, Leiter Jr. was traded to the Yankees last summer in exchange for prospects Jack Neely and Ben Cowles.

At 34 years old, Leiter Jr. will be a main component of New York's bullpen in 2025, while the Cubs' relief corps has undergone a comprehensive transformation in the last year with new names like Ryan Pressly, Caleb Thielbar, and Eli Morgan filling out the group.

1B Garrett Cooper

One of the Cubs' bench options heading into 2025, Garrett Cooper was only in Chicago for a short time. After 12 games and 41 plate appearances, the backup first baseman collected 10 hits and four walks. It wasn't too shabby, but Cooper was designated for assignment on April 23 when Patrick Wisdom returned from the injured list.

Cooper saw stints with Baltimore and Boston in 2025, slashing .206/.267/.299 on the year. He signed a minor league contract with the Braves in January and received an invite to Spring Training, but he did not make the team's Opening Day roster.

IF Miles Mastrobuoni

Utility man Miles Mastrobuoni was often at the heart of fans' angst surrounding the team's struggling offense last year. While Mastrobuoni was an adequate defender at multiple positions and flashed great speed on the basepaths, his wRC+ of 36 last year tells you all you need to know about his skills at the plate. While the offense was failing to put up runs, having Mastrobuoni in the lineup at all was a bit frustrating.

Perhaps Mastrobuoni's defining game ironically came when Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes made his MLB debut against the Cubs last May. Mastrobuoni was able to collect two hits against the eventual rookie of the year winner, who posted a 1.93 ERA and struck out 170 batters.

After getting designated for assignment in January, Mastrbuoni has found a job with the Seattle Mariners this year, and cracked their Opening Day roster in a bench role.

LHP Jordan Wicks

The Cubs' rotation was supplemented by southpaw Jordan Wicks in the initial weeks of 2024, as Jameson Taillon began the season on the injured list recovering from a back issue. In 46 innings, Wicks posted a 5.48 ERA and a 19.8 strikeout rate at the big-league level last year. An oblique injury landed Wicks on the injured list multiple times, including one stint on the 60-day IL.

Although Wicks is starting 2025 with the Triple-A Iowa Cubs, he will be one of the main depth options if injuries hit the big-league rotation. After developing a new workout and nutrition routine in the offseason, Wicks told the media he shed about 20 pounds in preparation for his eventual call back to the major-league squad. At just 25-years-old, the former first-round pick could be a long-term arm for the rotation in future seasons.

RHP Jose Cuás

A stark reminder of the 2024 bullpen woes, right-handed pitcher Jose Cuás was indeed a member of the 2024 Opening Day roster. Cuás was seemingly always in trouble while on the mound last year, surrendering 11 earned runs, 3 home runs, 6 walks, and 16 hits in just 13.1 innings of work.

After multiple trips back and forth from Iowa, Cuás was designated for assignment last June. After a brief stop in Toronto, Cuás was claimed off waivers by the Philadelphia Phillies. In January, he was outrighted to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the team's Triple-A affiliate.