3 former Chicago Cubs players we'll be glad are gone, and 2 we'll wish stayed

Wish he stayed: Wade Miley

Ok, this one is not as much of a "wish he stayed" as it is a "wish he wasn't on the Brewers." Miley was a good signing for the Cubs last offseason and he pitched very well in the games we started (3.16 ERA). Unfortunately, those games were very few and far between as several injuries limited the southpaw to just 8 starts. After his one-year deal expired, Miley went back to the division rival Milwaukee Brewers, where he will probably be a thorn in the Cubs' side as he tends to pitch well against them. They'll definitely be a game or two where Miley shoves against the Cubs and makes me wish he hadn't left.

Glad he's gone: Frank Schwindel

The Frank Schwindel experiment at 1st base was fun while it lasted, but like Ortega, this journeyman was never cut out to be a long-term option. The then 29-year-old made his debut at Wrigley Field after Anthony Rizzo was traded to the Yankees. He had some big hits down the stretch and slugged 6 home runs with 18 RBIs in August, which earned him the National League Rookie of the Month Award.

However, Schwindel made several trips to and from Triple-A Iowa in 2022 until he was designated for assignment in September. His release opened the door for the Cubs to improve at first base with the additions of Eric Hosmer and Trey Mancini, along with top prospect Matt Mervis making his case for a roster spot in Spring Training. Schwindel signed with the Nippon Professional Baseball team, the Orix Buffaloes in December.

Wish he stayed: Jason Heyward

With all of this talk of Jason Heyward suddenly getting his swing back, coupled with Seiya Suzuki's injury, thinking about his release from the Cubs stings a bit. Not to mention the fact the Cubs will be paying him $22 million this year. Granted, there were multiple times during Heyward's Cubs tenure when we heard reports of him tweaking his swing mechanics and getting his timing down so this should be taken with a grain of salt. But if he actually puts it together at the plate with the Dodgers, you bet we will look at that and say, "I wish he was still on the Cubs."

Glad he's gone: Willson Contreras

Former Cubs catcher Willson Contreras had a lot of good years in Chicago, but he has decided to bash his former team multiple times following his defection to the St. Louis Cardinals. After months of speculation, and eventual expectation, that the slugging catcher would be moved at the 2022 trade deadline, he was still awkwardly on the roster for the rest of the year. This might have led to bad blood, or it might have been the reports about him not seeing eye-to-eye with manager David Ross about how to call games. Contreras has always been a hit first, catching ability second type of player as his game-calling and pitch framing skills always needed improvement. If his stubbornness to stick to a game plan was bogging down the Cubs pitching staff and causing a riff with the coaches, then St. Louis can have fun with that.