Cubs officially release one of their biggest free agent whiffs from last winter

After the latest barrage of roster moves, the Chicago Cubs have finally released third baseman Jon Berti.

Berti was one of the free agent signings the Cubs made last offseason to bolster the team's infield depth. Unfortunately, Berti never lived up to his $2 million paycheck. The 35-year-old was nearly useless at the plate, with a .210/.262/.230 slash line and an abysmal wRC+ of 42 in 107 plate appearances this year.

Most of Berti's playing time came in the initial months of the season, when he filled in at third base while Matt Shaw was temporarily demoted to Triple-A. But Berti's lackluster defense and horrid production at the plate relegated him to garbage time before long, and most of his appearances in recent weeks came as either a pinch runner or reliever in high-scoring games. Matt Shaw's recent hot stretch and the team's need for a spark have finally sent Berti packing after a disappointing tenure in Chicago.

Jon Berti represents one of the many front office failures this year

Chicago went into the 2025 season with a brand new set of bench players. In the offseason, they parted ways with outfielder Mike Tauchman, third baseman Patrick Wisdom, and infielder Nick Madrigal. Berti, utility man Vidal Brujan, and first baseman Justin Turner were the replacements.

Turner has brought good value against left-handed pitching, and he has a great veteran presence to justify his contract. But Brujan was another guy who crashed and burned in a Cubs uniform, continuing a concerning trend of the Cubs failing to build quality depth on their major league bench.

Another clear miss was trading for Ryan Pressly. The veteran reliever went from being the team's primary closer, to getting designated for assignment and released on August 1st. The other main bullpen addition was Eli Morgan, who suffered an injury in April and has been shut down ever since. These failures don't tell the whole story, but they don't inspire confidence in a team that is supposed to be winning on the margins.