The Cubs have several key players reaching free agency at the same time

The Chicago Cubs currently have eight players on the 40-man roster who will reach free agency at the same time in 2026, making the long-term future of the team look a bit worrisome.

Although the front office has a long time to figure out this roster problem, it is a bit jarring when you look at the players on the list. Here is every Cubs player slated to become an unrestricted free agent following the 2026 season.

1. LF Ian Happ

Ian Happ has been the Cubs' everyday left fielder for several seasons now and it's hard to imagine this Cubs team without him. Although Happ struggled after his rookie season in 2017, he has carved out a nice role on this team and become a respected leader in the clubhouse.

After the Cubs opted not to trade Happ at the 2022 deadline, they worked out a contract extension last April to keep him around through the 2026 season. By that time, Happ will be entering his age 33 season and it seems unlikely for him to be given a contract by the Cubs. But between now and then, maybe we'll see Happ's power get to a place where it was once projected to be and he plays his way back.

Happ's coming off a year where he took home a gold glove and set career highs in several hitting categories including walks (99), RBI (84) and runs scored (86). Hopefully, he can build on 2023 to improve the lineup's formidability.

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2. 2B Nico Hoerner

Nico Hoerner is clearly one of the cornerstones of this Cubs team and like Happ, he signed a three-year extension last offseason to stay in Chicago through 2026. Hoerner is not a big home run threat, but he hits for contact (.283 in 2023), plays gold glove defense, and became the first Cub in a decade to steal 30+ bases in a season. He was arguably one of the best second basemen in baseball last year and he's become a fan-favorite amongst the Cubs fandom.

Hoerner will be only 29 when his contract expires, so if he continues to play like he did the last two seasons, it would be great to see him play in Chicago even longer. Aside from his speed and leadoff abilities, Hoerner's defense alongside Dansby Swanson was a delight to watch and his presence up the middle gives the Cubs one of the best defensive duos in baseball.

3. 3B/1B Patrick Wisdom

Infielder Patrick Wisdom was one of the few bright spots on this team immediately after the infamous 2021 trade deadline, where the World Series core of Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, and Javier Baez were moved. But after a gradual injection of talent onto the 40-man roster, Wisdom looks more like an odd man out given his lack of consistent production. Although he hit 23 home runs last year, 11 of them came in the first month of the season and he wound up hitting just .205 in 268 at-bats.

The team gave Wisdom a $2.7 million contract last month to avoid arbitration but this is honestly a bit much for a guy who collected less than 300 at-bats. Although the team needs a third baseman, Wisdom is not the long-term answer and I'd like to see the team flip him at the trade deadline. With other third base options like Nick Madrigal, Christopher Morel, and potentially Matt Shaw, it's only a matter of time before Wisdom will have next to no playing time on the Cubs. Since he will be 33 this year, trading Wisdom to a team where he will get more playing time just makes sense at this point and the Cubs could get some value in return before his arbitration numbers get even higher.

5. RHP Jameson Taillon

Unlike Suzuki, Jameson Taillon's next three years look a bit more daunting. After netting a four-year deal from the Cubs, Taillon proved to be the most untrustworthy arm in the starting rotation despite receiving the highest paycheck. I expect a lot out of Taillon in 2024 and beyond because his contract warrants at least a middle-of-the-rotation starter. To come anywhere close to that Taillon will have to shatter his Fangraphs projections, which have him turning in a lackluster 1.6 WAR.

Taillon certainly had more success in the second half of the season where he posted a 3.70 ERA over 82.2 innings pitched. But the peripheral numbers could definitely be better because Taillon still gave up 14 home runs and generated a lot of traffic on the bases. For everybody's sake Taillon needs to show improvement in 2024 and avoid his contract from looking like a disaster.

6. RHP Adbert Alzolay

Adbert Alzolay finally came into his own in 2023 and emerged as the team's closer. Although it took former manager David Ross a while to fully trust Alzolay in that role, the results speak for themselves. The 28-year-old collected 22 saves with a 2.67 ERA while averaging more than one strikeout for every inning pitched. Everything just seemed to click with Alzolay last year for the first time in his big-league career.

There are concerns considering 2023 was the only year that Alzolay wasn't mired by continuous injuries. On the other hand, it was the first year that Alzolay was a dedicated bullpen arm where he seemed to thrive. Assuming 2023 wasn't a fluke year, Alzolay should be pitching high-leverage innings until he reaches free agency.

7. 2B/3B Nick Madrigal

Nick Madrigal is another guy that seems out of place on this Cubs team. Similar to Wisdom, Madrigal is a third baseman who just isn't good enough to be considered the long-term option at the position. As a 5'8 second baseman, Madrigal showed incredible persistence when he learned how to play third base to the point where he made the routine plays. But aside from slightly above-average defense and the ability to hit for contact, Madrigal doesn't bring much else to the table.

I'm fine with him being infield depth but Madrigal should not be playing third base every day. It's also hard to see where Madrigal's career will go because getting packaged in a trade is not out of the question right now.

8. RHP Julian Merryweather

Julian Merryweather was not thought of as a main contributor to the Cubs a year ago, but he made the most of his opportunity after the team claimed him off waivers. The 6'4 right-hander used his 99-mile-an-hour fastball to become a main set-up man in a bullpen that struggled to find its identity out of the gate. Now it looks like the 32-year-old is a main component of the 2024 formula since he led all Cub relievers in strikeouts (98) and innings pitched (72).

Whether he'll be around until he reaches free agency in 2026 remains to be seen as MLB relievers are notoriously volatile. But the Cubs avoided arbitration with Merryweather this winter and gave a nice $1.175 million contract for his efforts last year. So he'll be around in the near future at the very least.

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