2 Chicago Cubs who will be costly in arbitration and 3 who will not

Cheap: Codi Heuer

Reliever Codi Heuer was slated to make his return in 2023 after a long recovery from Tommy John surgery. However, the former White Sox set-up man suffered a major setback during a rehab assignment with the Iowa Cubs in June.

Since he didn't throw a pitch at the major league level this year (or in 2022), Heuer's salary is projected to stay exactly where it is now at $785,000. The Cubs could end up getting significant value out of this contract if Heuer comes back and returns to the guy he was a couple of years ago.

Heuer has a career-respectable 3.56 ERA across 91 innings pitched with the White Sox and Cubs. When the Cubs acquired him in the Craig Kimbrel trade, Heuer was projected to be a major component of the team's bullpen. He flashed plus velocity on his fastball that averaged 96 mph and hitters struggled to barrel up his stuff.

Of course, we don't know what we're going to get from Heuer after his elbow issues and we still don't even have a solid outlook on his return so there is a lot still up in the air. That being said, Heuer's contract will still be team-friendly in 2024.