4 Chicago Cubs who could sneak onto the 40-man roster by Opening Day

4 Chicago Cubs who could sneak onto the 40-man roster by Opening Day - Roenis Elias

Roenis Elias is an exciting candidate to crack the 40-man roster for two reasons. One, he was signed by the Cubs due to the stellar production he harnessed in the Dominican Winter League this winter and simply because the Cubs are short on any other options for left-handed relievers besides Brandon Hughes. Therefore, if his production picks up in spring, where it left off this winter, he could certainly have an inside track to the job.

Elias appeared in MLB action for the first time this season since 2019, when he posted a 3.96 ERA in 50 innings. He hasn't started games since 2018 but did so this winter and looked fantastic. Therefore, his ability to be utilized out of the bullpen as a bulk reliever/spot starter coincides with the depth the front office has emphasized in acquiring this offseason. Time will tell if he breaks camp with the Cubs or heads to Iowa to start the season.

4 Chicago Cubs who could sneak onto the 40-man roster by Opening Day - Tyler Duffey

If you've missed it before, I've given a rundown on Tyler Duffey recently as an under-the-radar signing. Duffey is my pick to break camp with the big league roster out of all the right-handed relief options. Though the fastball velocity has been down a couple of ticks since 2019, he has still found ways to succeed in the MLB. Until 2022, that is, where he finally had a down year, recording a 4.91 ERA and slightly lower FIP of 4.79 in 44.0 innings.

Still, I expect Duffey's 36.84% fastball utilization rate to drop and focus more on getting movement on his breaking stuff. He still utilized a five-pitch mix in 2022, and really as a reliever, you can certainly get by with just three pitches if you can throw them effectively. We will see, come Spring Training, if Duffey is still throwing as many heaters or if he starts sprinkling in more changeups and sinkers, which combined were only used at an 18.75% clip but yielded the best results, allowing lines of .207/.207/.345 (sinker) and .111/.111/.111 (changeup), respectively.

4 Chicago Cubs who could sneak onto the 40-man roster by Opening Day - Matt Mervis

Even though the Cubs signed Eric Hosmer and Trey Mancini this winter, there is still a narrow path for Matt Mervis to crack the 40-man this Spring. Given Mancini's ability to play the outfield, Hosmer and Mervis could switch off at 1B and DH. This implies that Mervis goes wild in Spring Training and forces the front office's hand until they have no choice but to bring him aboard. It also means that someone else is performing at a dreadful level and gets the axe before the start of the season to make room for Mervis.

Still, the thought is that the Cubs would like to ease Mervis into an everyday role, and signing the aforementioned first basemen gives them the ability to do so. What about a scenario where Mervis is batting .297/.383/.593 with a .416 wOBA and 152 wRC+? He recorded those numbers in 57 games at the Triple-A level last season.

To reiterate, if there are any signs of struggle, it will be off to Iowa for Mervis to save those options and service time accumulation. If he does pick right back up at the same pace, though, the front office's decision in this regard to roll the dice or not will be the #1 thing to keep an eye on this Spring.