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3 Cubs players who should be out of the picture in 2024

As the Cubs shifts into a new contention window, change is inevitable.

By Jake Misener |
St. Louis Cardinals v Chicago Cubs
St. Louis Cardinals v Chicago Cubs / Jamie Sabau/GettyImages
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The long-term foundation of the Chicago Cubs is in place. Dansby Swanson, Nico Hoerner and Ian Happ are all on multi-year deals on the position player side of things. The pitching infrastructure is turning out a wave of young arms, headlined by Justin Steele, Jordan Wicks, Adbert Alzolay and the like.

But there are some holes on the position player side of things - namely at the corner infield spots, one of which could at least be semi-addressed by bringing back Cody Bellinger in free agency. Regardless, here are 3 guys the Cubs need to move on from if they're serious about being NL Central favorites in 2024.

3 Cubs players who should be out of the picture in 2024 - #3: Miles Mastrobuoni

This spot came down to either Nick Madrigal or Miles Mastrobuoni and given the glovework he's shown and the bat you hope is still in there somewhere, I suspect the Cubs will stick with Madrigal moving forward.

Mastrobuoni is a jack-of-all-trades defensively, capable of playing both on the infield and outfield in a pinch. He's just 27 - but in his limited big league action, the guy just hasn't produced offensively. This year with Chicago, he's carrying a 68 OPS+ and .236/.311/.309 slash line with pretty average defense.

With the tremendous upside Christopher Morel offers, even with his free-swinging tendencies, the Cubs are better served relying on Madrigal and Morel as utility pieces (and, of course Bellinger should he return, can bounce between 1B/CF/DH) and sticking Mastrobuoni down at Iowa or letting him pursue other opportunities.

3 Cubs players who should be out of the picture in 2024 - #2: Brad Boxberger

Brad Boxberger was lights-out with the Brewers in 2022, making 70 appearances and working to a 2.95 ERA. But injuries have really derailed the right-hander this year with the Cubs, limiting him to just 20 innings of work on the year.

He and Michael Fulmer were supposed to be the veteran linchpins in this bullpen but Boxberger has, by and large, been a non-factor. Fulmer got off to a rocky start but figured things out as the season wore on. Just as he seemed to hit his stride and settle in, though, he hit the IL this month, leaving a big hole in the late inning mix for David Ross.

Boxberger's contract carries a $5 million mutual option for 2024 with an $800K buyout - and given they paid him just $2 million this season, there's no chance Chicago picks up their end of that option. Boxberger will turn 36 in May and given the injuries this year, there are better options out there.

3 Cubs players who should be out of the picture in 2024 - #1: Patrick Wisdom

It was a fun era - one filled with mammoth home runs and showing some skin rounding the bases - but it's time to move on from Patrick Wisdom. He's been relegated to a bench role, and one that's completely dictated by matchups at that. His hot start now a thing in the distant past, Wisdom appears to be on the outside looking in when it comes to the team's long-term plans.

The hot corner figures to be an area of focus for Chicago this winter. The best third baseman on the market is Matt Chapman, but it remains to be seen if the Cubs go in that direction or if they perhaps look at a reunion with Jeimer Candelario, who could handle third and first - the team's two biggest positions of need.

Wisdom has blasted 74 home runs in three years - eclipsing the 20-homer mark in each - and even setting the Cubs rookie record in 2021 when he hit 28, topping Kris Bryant's 26-homer mark from back in 2015. But if the front office is serious about chasing an NL Central crown next year, Wisdom can't be a guy you're counting on.

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