3 Chicago Cubs non-roster players who could make the Opening Day roster

Pitchers and catchers have officially reported to Arizona and it's time for the Chicago Cubs to get into Spring Training mode. Although the team still has work to do in the offseason with Cody Bellinger and other Scott Boras clients still on the market, it won't be long until games are played in the Cactus League. February 23 will be the first chance to see the 2024 Cubs in action for the first time as they take on the White Sox in Mesa.

Alongside the many major and minor leaguers arriving in camp, each team always brings a wide selection of non-roster invitees to try and prove themselves and earn a spot on the team. From tenured minor leaguers to recent minor league signings looking to bounce back, there's no shortage of competition to earn one of the final spots on the roster. This year, the Cubs have 19 such players consisting of 11 pitchers, three infielders, an outfielder, and four catchers.

The extra depth provided by these players will not only help the Cubs get by as injuries hit throughout the season but also open the door for a surprise major league contributor. Let's take a look at three of those non-roster invitees who have a real shot to make the Opening Day roster.

#3: Carl Edwards Jr.

Old friend Carl Edwards Jr. was one of several to earn a minor league deal from the Cubs this offseason and seems like the most likely to make the cut at the end of camp. Injuries limited him to only 31 1/3 innings last year, but The String Bean Slinger was effective as a National before that. He performed closer to his previous Cubs days, posting a 3.07 ERA and 4.11 FIP during his two years in Washington.

Edwards is a smart, low-risk bet to bounce back on a minor-league deal, even if his velocity and strikeout rate aren't really what they used to be. In 2023, he managed a 3.69 ERA and 3.86 FIP despite a career-low 6.8 strikeouts per nine innings thanks to inducing abysmal contact with a 4% barrel rate and a 29% hard-hit rate against. The Cubs could use more swing-and-miss from the bullpen, but the results Edwards has shown over the past few years make him a good bet to pitch meaningful innings right off the bat, assuming he's fully healthy.

#2: Edwin Escobar

The Cubs still require a lefty reliever. Mark Leiter Jr. has served adequately in this role thanks to reverse splits, but a true southpaw on the roster would help to round out the bullpen considerably. Right now, the job could very well belong to the hard-throwing Luke Little, yet we can't ignore the many depth options available now between Richard Lovelady, Thomas Pannone, Brad Wieck, and Edwin Escobar.

Of that group, Escobar seems like the best bet to break camp with the team. The former high-ranking Red Sox prospect did little in his brief appearances in the majors between Boston and Arizona. He instead took his chances in Japan, where he became a much more effective reliever with a 3.17 ERA across seven seasons in the NPB. The Cubs then decided to make Escobar the first move of their offseason.

Escobar could potentially add some extra swing-and-miss to the bullpen. There will always be questions about how his arsenal will translate back to the majors, but he looked like an effective strikeout pitcher overseas. With a plus fastball that reportedly sat around 96 mph in Japan last year, he racked up nearly a strikeout per inning across his 392 1/3 innings overseas. The Cubs have had plenty of luck with getting good results out of project relievers like Julian Merryweather and Mark Leiter Jr., and Escobar clearly has the tools to become an impact player as well with some work

The competition will be fierce for the Opening Day roster, but the lefty feels like a reasonable bet to make it. If not, it seems like a high likelihood that Escobar will make it to Wrigley at some point before the season's over. When that time comes, he'll get to play alongside his old Yokohama DeNA Baystars teammate Shota Imanaga in a new uniform.