Improving the bench mix is a must for Jed Hoyer and the Cubs this offseason

While the 2025 Chicago Cubs finished with 92 wins and statistically ranked among the league's better offenses, there was a noticeable hole: the bench.

Jed Hoyer brought in what felt like a consistent stream of established veterans throughout offseason and the regular season to try to give the team depth, but a number of the moves did not go as planned. One could argue that the lack of overall bench production hurt the team in the dog days when the likes of Kyle Tucker, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Seiya Suzuki hit slumps after their All-Star-caliber first halves. Of course, nobody expects bench players to carry a team for a week or month, or match the production of the regulars.

Looking at the overall bench production, we will evaluate the veteran pieces. Prospects like Moisés Ballesteros, Owen Cassie, and Kevin Alcántara are not part of this equation, as they got a small taste of MLB play as inexperienced players.

Notable veteran bench pieces in 2025 included Justin Turner, Jon Berti, Willi Castro, Vidal Bruján, Reese McGuire, Nicky Lopez and Carlos Santana. These guys served different roles with varying expectations, but it's worth noting that these players combined to hit just .200 with a .257 OBP, 13 homers and 53 RBI in 589 plate appearances. The highest homer and OPS totals were by McGuire who hit nine homers with a .688 OPS. Turner was the only other hitter in that group to have an OPS above .600.

To put it into a bit of perspective, in 2016 the Cubs had a supporting cast including David Ross, Chris Coghlan, Tommy LaStella, and Matt Szczur and they hit a combined .252 with a .344 OBP, 18 homers, 83 RBI and OPS ranging between .712 and .784 that year. As great as the main cast for that team was, the experienced bench pieces were a big part of that equation too.

Cubs need more from their bench after a disappointing 2025 showing

Justin Turner

While a bit of a polarizing figure among Cubs fans in terms of on-field production, Justin Turner proved his worth as a leader and mentor in the clubhouse. The overall numbers for the former All-Star and postseason hero were not great, hitting just .219/.288/.314 with three homers and 75 OPS+, he did hit well against lefties (.276/.330/.429) and was even better as an in-game sub (.256/.341/.462). Turner is 40 and age simply caught up resulting in him not being the player he once was. That said, there were certain situations he honestly did OK in.

Jon Berti

Jon Berti was a nice addition on paper, bringing in solid defensive versatility, on-base ability and speed. He ended up posting a career-low -0.4 fWAR in 53 games as a Cub before being cut. He hit just .210/.262/.230 with a career-low OBP and walk rate (4.7 percent). He did eat some innings of the mound, however. So there's that.

Willi Castro

This was very frustrating. Utilityman Willi Castro was acquired from the Minnesota Twins at the deadline, where he was having a very solid season hitting .245/.335/.407 with 10 homers and .743 OPS in 86 games. He looked like the perfect fit as another versatile player with a solid OBP, while also having a little bit of pop. His time in Chicago was dreadful, hitting just .170/.245/.240 with one homer and a .485 OPS in 34 games. For whatever reason, he did not work out here.

Reese McGuire

Give this guy some credit, he did as well as one could ask from him coming in on an emergency basis with Miguel Amaya's injury. Reese McGuire slugged a career-high nine homers and drove in a career-best 24 runs. Played solid enough defense too. This was one of the better bench stories for the Cubs in 2025.

Vidal Bruján

Vidal Brujan was acquired in the Matt Mervis deal with Miami, and mainly served as the 26th man who could play any position and pinch run. The bat was a non-factor, hitting just .222/.234/.289 in 47 plate appearances, and was cast off when no longer needed on the roster. To his credit he played pretty well in Altanta after leaving Chicago.

Carlos Santana

A future "Hall of Very Good" inductee, Carlos Santana came to Chicago late in the season to add an extra bat to the roster after being cut by Cleveland. It appeared that the 39-year-old slugger's tank was running on empty over his eight games in Chicago, with just two hits in 19 at-bats. None of his 335 career homers came in a Cubs uniform. He will be a fun trivia question in the future.

Nicky Lopez

Yes, a friendly reminder "Naperville Nicky" played in 14 games a Cub earlier in the season. He had one hit and two walks in 22 plate appearances.

Building an effective bench is not always easy. If a player is good enough they are often starters. Plenty of teams don't have an overly strong bench early until they acquire or call up some guys in-season. With that said, the Cubs will ideally want better production next year from non-everyday players than they got in 2025. Depth is big especially when there are injuries.