5 Chicago Cubs players in their final month with the team

It's now or never for Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer, whose multi-year rebuilding effort will need to bear fruit in 2025. With virtually all of its top prospects at Triple-A, Chicago approaches an offseason in which it must add impact talent and put itself in the position to get over the hump and return to the postseason next year.

Creativity will be the name of the game for Hoyer and his GM, Carter Hawkins, as they look to balance a roster that's largely locked in long-term with a need for change after falling well short of expectations in Craig Counsell's first year as manager. Here are 5 guys whose time with the Cubs is quickly winding down.

Cubs will need to add a new face to the catching tandem this winter

Christian Bethancourt has been a revelation since coming to the Cubs, casually throwing up a .900+ OPS down the stretch in limited action. As impressive as he's been, Chicago cannot expect him to replicate those numbers over the course of a full season - and doing so would be a huge mistake.

In his career, Bethancourt has a 73 OPS+, meaning he's about 30 percent below-average with the bat. The 33-year-old gets above-average marks controlling the running game but is far from a solid framer or receiver. Given the uncertainty surrounding Miguel Amaya after a tale of two halves in 2024, Hoyer needs to add a proven commodity behind the plate this winter.