Our Opening Roster Projection, v 3.0 shows that almost all of the Chicago Cubs’ roster spots are accounted for. That piece left open two places among the initial 26-man group — one on the bench, one in the bullpen. The 40-man roster contains plenty of candidates to fill these roles, but that group will be getting pressure from non-roster invitees (NRI) who have substantial MLB experience.Â
North Side Baseball looks at three hitters and two pitchers from the NRI set who we think have the best chance to win a job in Mesa. We’re excluding minor-league prospects such as Jaxon Wiggins and Jefferson Rojas. Those players are still in the development stage. They’d need to set the world on fire in Arizona to have a chance of breaking camp with the big-league club.
Cubs’ Best Non-Roster Invites: Hitters
Age: 27
2025 MLB stats: 241 PAs, .614 OPS, 74 wRC+, 6 HRs.
Carlson is a candidate to challenge Kevin Alcantara and Justin Dean for a reserve outfielder spot. He is a switch-hitter who can play all three outfield positions. Statistically, his best position is center (career +4 OAA in 1737 1/3 innings), and he has shown a plus arm in the past. Five years ago, he looked like a rising star when he posted a 111 wRC+ and 18 home runs for the St. Louis Cardinals in his first full MLB season. A series of injuries followed, however, and his stats crashed. The year-by-year percentile rankings tell the tale:
Expecting him to return to anything like his old self is probably a fool’s errand, but there’s enough potential baked into both his glove and bat that he should be considered the second-favorite to claim the fourth outfielder job after Kevin Alcantara.
Age: 30
2025 MLB stats: 116 PA, .569 OPS, 62 wRC+, 1 HR.
If McCormick makes the team, he could serve as a right-handed-hitting complement to Pete Crow-Armstrong in center field. He’s known more for his defense (+30 career OAA in 3481 1/3 innings, plus a memorable catch in the World Series), but he has shown flashes of ability at the plate (.842 OPS, 132 wRC+, 22 HRs in 2023). Last year was a bust — he missed 2 1/2 months during the middle of the season with an oblique strain and then was optioned to Triple-A in September. The Houston Astros non-tendered him last November.
IF/OF Scott Kingery
Age: 31
2025 MLB stats: 29 PA, .392 OPS, 0 HRs.
Kingery is best known for the six-year, $24 million contract extension he got from the Philadelphia Phillies as a rookie in 2018. That deal turned out to be a horrible contract for the club: Kingery spent most of the final three years in Triple-A. He got a fresh start with the Los Angeles Angels, who called him up last year and got him into 19 games. L.A. moved on from him in the offseason. His best tools are his speed and versatility — he can play second, third, short and all three outfield positions. That alone could endear him enough to Craig Counsell to earn him a surprise spot on the Opening Day roster.
Others: Christian Bethancourt, Owen Miller
Cubs’ Best Non-Roster Invites: Pitchers
RHP Trent Thornton
Age: 32
2025 MLB stats: 42 1/3 IP, 4.68 ERA/4.74 FIP, 2.29 K:BB ratio.
Thornton took a step back last year with the Seattle Mariners before suffering an Achilles tear at the end of July. His K rate plunged from a career-high 26.2 percent in 2024 to 17.8 percent, and his home run rate jumped from 2.7 percent to 3.3 percent. He’s healthy again, as evidenced by him throwing in the low-90s at his workout for teams in January. And he might have a new pitch to showcase this spring.
RHP Corbin Martin
Age: 30
2025 MLB stats: 18 IP, 6.00 ERA/5.30 FIP, 2.56 K:BB ratio.
This journeyman has a live arm: his two main pitches are a 96-mph four-seamer and a 92-mph slider. If you’re willing to excuse “one bad game,” then Martin was decent last year for the Baltimore Orioles. He was charged with six earned runs while not recording an out against the Phillies on Aug. 4; in his other outings, he posted a 3.00 ERA with 23 strikeouts.Â
Others: Collin Snider, Vince Velasquez