Pair of light-hitting former Cubs infielders elect free agency with World Series on deck

This winter's major free agent headlines are going to be centered around the Tarik Skubal sweepstakes and impact bats like Seiya Suzuki. But the bulk of the free-agent class falls in a different tier and this duo of former Chicago Cubs infielders certainly fit that bill.

According to the MiLB transactions log, Miles Mastrobuoni and Vidal Brujan have both elected minor-league free agency. Both had been outrighted off their respective 40-man rosters and now head into the winter in search of new homes.

The Cubs acquired Brujan in Dec. 2024 when they traded slugging prospect Matt Mervis to the Miami Marlins. He slotted in as a bench option for Craig Counsell for much of the first half of the 2025 season, primarily seeing time at the hot corner. He was a non-factor offensively, slashing just .222/.234/.289 with a 48 OPS+ in just 47 plate appearances and was designated for assignment in late July to make room for catching prospect Moises Ballesteros.

He quickly latched on with the Baltimore Orioles organization, and since, has seen time with the Atlanta Braves and, most recently, the New York Mets. This year, he made it into nine games with the Mets, spending most of the year at Triple-A, where he put up an OPS north of .800.

Miles Mastrobuoni joins fellow former Cub Vidal Brujan in free agency

Mastrobuoni, meanwhile, saw a decent amount of playing time over the last two years for Seattle, but took major steps in the wrong direction in 2026. Like Brujan, his offensive numbers were better at Triple-A, but that doesn't change the narrative around him: good defensive versatility and anything you get from him at the plate comes as a bonus.

He made his MLB debut in 2022 with the Tampa Bay Rays and was traded to Chicago that offseason. Both of these guys are going to find new deals this winter, but will almost certainly be restricted to minor-league offers given their lack of regular production at the big-league level.

It wouldn't surprise anyone to see Brujan or Mastrobuoni make their way back to MLB action in 2027 as injuries hit clubs. They're nice depth pieces to have in the organization, but won't move the needle in major ways.

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