Former beloved Cubs top prospect already cut loose in brutal turn of events

Matt Mervis has been a walking reminder for Chicago Cubs fans not to assign nicknames to prospects before they even reach the major-league level. His power potential earned him a brief run as one of the Cubs' top prospects, but he never reached that potential in the majors. The Cubs soured on Mervis, trading him to the Miami Marlins last offseason. Mervis has struggled to stick with an organization, and that has already been the case for his Washington Nationals.

MASN's Bobby Blanco reports that the Nationals have released Mervis just a week into the regular season.

Mervis split the 2025 season with the Marlins and Arizona Diamondbacks. He flashed an initial power surge, hitting seven home runs with the Marlins during the opening month of the season, but his strikeout rate ballooned to 37.3%. When he wasn't hitting home runs, he was striking out, and the home runs weren't frequent enough to keep him on Miami's roster.

The power also disappeared during his time in the Diamondbacks' system. He only had six home runs with their Triple-A affiliate last year, registering 122 plate appearances.

Flamed-out former Chicago Cubs prospect Matt Mervis may be headed overseas.

Mervis signed a minor-league deal with the Nationals over the offseason, and considering the state of Washington's roster, the impression was that he could sneak onto the big-league club. Instead, he opened the season in Triple-A, and it wasn't a "mashing" start. The 27-year-old was hitless through five plate appearances.

Being that Mervis only registered one game with the Nationals' Triple-A affiliate, this feels like a situation where the former Cubs prospect either has a major-league opportunity elsewhere or a more lucrative offer to play overseas. While there were clear warts in his swing profile that were going to limit his potential in Major League Baseball, the power should play overseas.

Fortunately, the Cubs don't have to be concerned about first base anytime soon. Michael Busch led the team with 34 home runs, proving to be the very thing Mervis wasn't, and is under control through the 2029 season.