Cubs may find their outfield answer in an overlooked White Sox success story

Barring a shocking development, the Chicago Cubs will have to replace at least one of Ian Happ or Seiya Suzuki this offseason, if not both corner outfielders. Perhaps a combination of Matt Shaw, Pedro Ramirez, and Kevin Alcántara can fill in at one of those spots, but adding at least one surefire starter to the mix would ease the burden on those youngsters.

Randal Grichuk may not quite fit the bill, but the 35-year-old just revived his career and then some with the Chicago White Sox in 2026. In 101 games, he hit .299/.328/.598 (152 wRC+), emerging as a veteran leader of a young team that nearly made it to the ALCS.

Once again a free agent, Grichuk's market has started to heat up as offense-needy clubs look to augment their rosters before the lockout. Given his age and journeyman track record -- he's played for seven teams over the past six seasons -- odds are he'll settle for an affordable one-year contract. Is he the right guy to task with bringing some stability to the Cubs' outfield picture?

Randal Grichuk would be a perfect addition for Cubs, so long as they keep expectations in check

Adding Grichuk to the fold would be all about maximizing offensive potential -- in a way, he'd be more of a replacement for Michael Conforto than either Happ or Suzuki. That's certainly not a bad player to have (Conforto gave the Cubs a 119 wRC+ in 2026), but it does raise questions about the team's priorities.

We know the Cubs value defense as much as any organization in baseball. They put together a historic campaign on that side of the ball this year, an achievement that Happ (+10 Defensive Runs Saved) and Suzuki (+14 DRS) played a huge part in. Grichuk, on the other hand, has slowly been getting worse with his glove, and even a better-than-expected effort in 2026 (+1 DRS) doesn't change the fact that he can't replace what those two brought to the table.

What he can do is bring some extra thump to the lineup. He mauls left-handed pitching and just wrapped up a season in which he ranked among the league's best in barrel (11.2 percent) and hard-hit rate (49.8 percent). Grichuk, even a few years removed from his prime with the Cardinals and Blue Jays, can still get the job done from the batter's box.

There are other teams who will value his experience and leadership more than the Cubs; Alex Bregman has already adopted the tone-setter role in the clubhouse, and fellow veterans like Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner are more than capable of helping the next generation of talent transition to the big leagues.

But if the goal is to find some affordable options for the corners of the outfield while saving resources for a pitching staff overhaul, the Cubs will be hard-pressed to do better than adding Grichuk on a one-year deal.

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