Cubs built a strong 2025 roster but made one gamble that’s aging horribly

There is no question that Justin Turner has brought incredible vibes to the Chicago Cubs' clubhouse this season. After the Cubs were unable to sign Alex Bregman last offseason, the team acted quickly to sign Justin Turner as a way to round out their bench. While Turner has brought personality and character to the Cubs' roster, he's provided very little value to the team on the field.

Short of his first two seasons, where he had less than 30 plate appearances in each of 2009 and 2010, Turner is having the worst offensive season of his career with the Cubs in 2025. Before Wednesday night's game, Tuner was slashing .204/.289/.255/60 wRC+ with 1 home run.

In a world where the Cubs were getting production from the other areas on their bench, Vidal Bruján and Jon Berti, it's possible that Turner could be hidden on the roster, and continue to bring value behind the scenes. However, the issue is that Bruján and Berti have been just as bad. Beyond that, the issue is that Craig Counsell is also relying on Turner to be the starter at first base when the Cubs are going against a left-handed pitcher.

Cubs’ front office got 2025 mostly right — except for this glaring roster miss

While Turner's issues are a part of a much larger problem with the lack of production they are getting from their bench, a problem that may quietly be addressed at the trade deadline, his arrival was essentially taking Patrick Wisdom's spot on the roster.

Like Turner, for the Cubs last season, Wisdom got starts at first against left-handed pitchers while also getting some run at third base. The 2024 season was certainly the worst offensive season Wisdom had with the Cubs, hitting under .200, but his 8 home runs in 174 plate appearances still gave a 75 wRC+. Again, not great, and you certainly understand why the Cubs non-tendered him, but the case could be made that Wisdom would have been a better fit for the 2025 roster than Turner.

What the Cubs' bench lacks the most this season is power. On a roster where Busch is getting the majority of the starts at first base, Matt Shaw is the answer at third base, and Seiya Suzuki is thriving as the team's designated hitter, Wisdom would have been an ideal bench bat. Nevertheless, he is becoming a sensation in the KBO.

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