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 - 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.