5 Chicago Cubs players facing uncertain futures after 2023

5 uncertain futures - 4. Patrick Wisdom

Coming in at number four, we have Patrick Wisdom. The pop in his bat is sought after, but the slash of .207/.298/.426 has to be improved. After recording a 2.3 WAR during the 2021 campaign in which he broke the Cubs' rookie record for home runs, that number dropped to 1.1 in 2022, according to Fangraphs. However, Wisdom recorded a strikeout rate of 40.8% in 2021, and this past season, though he managed to lower that number, 34.3% is still unacceptable moving forward.

Where the offense will be crucial to his success, there is currently too much to be desired in the field. After -15 outs above average, coupled with -12 runs prevented, the Cubs could opt to shift him to DH vs. LHP at this juncture, but the thought is that with Hosmer's ability to hit lefties, there isn't much of a case to be made other than a bench role. At third base, he recorded 14 errors in 105 games (.948 FP). He didn't record any errors in his 18 games spent at first base to his credit, but that is now a role reserved for Trey Mancini. Still, if the Cubs shift him away from 3B permanently, his role will diminish more and more if he doesn't quickly figure it out offensively.