Hello Cubs World,
let’s spend a bit of time analyzing the bench.
Before we get started, let’s recall that the Cubs have had a below average hitting bench for years now. Jed Hoyer has spent most of the past five years collecting glove-only (not even glove-first) players for those roles. The exception was Patrick Wisdom- a completely reverse guy who had all the power we ever wanted, but never truly mastered any position. His supposed spot, third base, was actually his worst, by far. Let’s face it – in the majors, he was a platoon option at first base or left field. I thought he would stay in the majors as a part time lefty killer…. Best wishes to him in Asia- he’s a strong middle of the order bat in Korea and could probably do the same in Japan. we will get back to Wisdom in a second, but for now let’s wonder if the Cubs finally have a serious, and even intimidating bench?
Let’s go over the pecking order heading into spring training. First, let’s examine the 40-man roster.
Matt Shaw – the 10th Man I dreamed of
Before we get into controversies let’s just dispense with Matt Shaw – he is the one absolute lock for the roster.
Shaw’s trajectory is as a fulltime starter in 2027, but he’s exactly what a contender needs right now – the 10th man, the super-utility man who has all of the tools (well, except his arm is pretty average, so let’s call him a 4-tool standout). He flashed Gold Glove talent in his first season in the majors, and first full season trying third base. Many fans still don’t realize he was an All-American collegiate player at shortstop in only a single go at that position. what is more commonly known is that he showed nearly Nico Hoerner level talent at his preferred position, second base. I see him as the next Ryne Sandberg, but a better fielder (we’ve been waiting a long time for that guy). I really doubt we can afford to give Nico 30 million a year, which is where the elite ballclubs will be setting his price if he has another great season.
Even beyond Sandberg comparisons, he’s played plus ball in left field when given that assignment, too. Thus, Shaw will be rotating to give Happ, Hoerner, Swanson (probably with Hoerner sliding to SS), and Bregman days off. Simply backing up four positions should earn him 300+ plate appearances. He will contribute about 1.5 defensive WAR, which is a ton for a utility guy. Overall, his relatively best tool is actually baserunning- he’s over the 90th percentile in speed, he knows how to steal, and how to stretch a double into a triple. In the long run, I see Shaw as the Cubs’ leadoff hitter- there, I said it. He will continue to improve for the next 3-4 years, so it’s wise to not put too much pressure on him right away. But for now, consider all the pinch hitting, fielding, running, and even DH reps, and I think Shaw will be involved in nearly every game. Here is what I see for a healthy Shaw in 2026 with only 2/3rds playing time:
420 PA .260 BA .340 OBP .450 SLG 20 HR 65 RBI 25 SB 4 fWAR (1.5 defense, 2.3 offense, .2 baserunning)
Kevin Alcantara – Use it or Lose it Time !
The outfield bench guy is usually a glove first role that is expected to generate 0 to 1 fWAR and rarely sees the wrong side of his best platoon. Here’s a guy who has reached his last option year – he’s got only one more chance to work things out in AAA if he doesn’t make the roster. I give him about an 80% chance of taking full advantage of this situation. Alcantara is a solid centerfielder or plus right fielder – tall, rangy, fast, and generally the type of guy you want backing up PCA and Suzuki. His glove is good enough that he may frequently substitute for Suzuki in late innings – that is, when he’s not platooning with PCA already. He can hit long balls as well as Swanson, but he projects to be more of a hit/run tool orientation overall. Alcantara absolutely MASHED against left-handed pitching in the minors, with nearly .900 OPS splits over the past few years. He will outplay the Pirates’ O’Neil Cruz very soon. I think fans will be impressed with his defensive prowess and delighted to see him finally pan out. He won’t have enough time to do high damage offensively – although he’ll surpass 20 HR/season when a full-timer. Still, expect him to be in line to platoon with PCA in 2027 and contend for a fulltime role in right field in 2028. Projections (mostly hitting against lefties, often in center field):
160 PA .245 BA .325 OBP .430 SLG 7 HR 25 RBI 12 SB 1 fWAR (.4 defense, .5 offense, .1 baserunning)
Tyler Austin: The Low Risk, High Reward Camp Competitor
Okay, here’s the first layer of controversy worth a deep look. Tyler Austin is Patrick Wisdom 2.0 … or, to be fair, the original Patrick Wisdom. circa 2018-2019, He looked like the next big masher for the Yankees. His career MLB stats as a young bench guy tells the story well:
WAR 0.9 AB 521 HR 33 BA .219 RBI 91 SB 4 OBP .292 SLG .451 OPS .743
Clearly, this is a guy who had glove and strikeout struggles on a similar level to Wisdom, because this stat line should be close to 2 WAR, not 1. He’s a platoon righty first baseman and DH who can be a pinch outfielder when you need to risk it. But man can this cat mash homers. In the last five years in Japan, he’s been one of the top 10 sluggers, including an improved hit tool that averaged him 1.0 OPS …. but he’s also been injured nearly half the time. Nobody sees him as a viable fulltime starter for that reason, but his platoon results against lefty pitching is even better than Wisdom.
So, what’s the expectation here? A much better bench bat than Justin Turner, for $1.5 MM. My belief is that Jonathan Long – our best fulltime AAA hitter, and the only guy who could hit like Ballesteros and Shaw over the last two seasons – is supposed to inherit the platoon role with Michael Busch. So, clearly, the Cubs felt Long needed one more year to develop. The Jed Hoyer approach is similar to his mentor Theo Epstein – never rush a guy to the majors unless he’s a superstar. Thus, Tyler Austin is the experienced alternative. If he makes the roster, his job will be pretty straightforward- 1) cover Busch and/or Ballesteros against lefties they don’t match up with well; 2) pinch hit for Hoerner when you’re praying for a late inning homer; 3) try not to get in anyone’s way.
I give Austin less than 50% chance to make the squad – there’s simply a long list of guys who could make a case for themselves. Still, the third bench spot is his to lose, since it is most likely to be used for this exact role. The lineup simply doesn’t have that many holes to sneak into.
Projection:
150 PA .235 BA .320 OBP .520 SLG 12 HR 30 RBI .6 fWAR (-.2 defense, .8 offense)
Justin Dean: This Emergency Outfielder Will Get a Few Cups of Tea.
Justin Dean can steal a buttload of bases – 68 in 2024, in the minors, which was about one every other game. He can also play surprisingly good outfield given the fact he’s nearly a foot shorter than Alcantara. The Dodgers liked his defense enough to use him in the World Series. And yet, bat-wise, he’s strictly inferior to everyone aforementioned, as well as several guys we have down in AAA. He’s your classic glove-first backup center fielder with a projected career .660-.700 OPS as a contact hitter and a lot of baserunning opportunities. Overall, I just don’t see Dean making the opening roster unless he has an astounding spring training and someone gets hurt. That being said, I expect him to burn his options this year as the next guy up. I am quite happy to have Dean take over the emergency outfield role behind Alcantara.
Projection: He spends most of 2026 in AAA and produced about 40 MLB plate appearances, at best – mostly a pinch runner and emergency glove.
The Rest of the 40-Man: Infielders Good Enough to Protect, Not Good Enough to Play in 2026
James Triantos. All three of these guys have flashed brilliance, but Triantos has had the most love from scouting reports. He functions as a glove-first 2nd baseman and surprisingly capable center fielder (ignore any claims to him playing third, because he sucks at it) who can kinda hit and definitely run. Unfortunately he hits homers like Hoerner, so won’t likely surpass 10 in a season. Of the bunch, Triantos has the highest upside as a Tommy Edman-type. His 2025 season at the plate in AAA was a big setback. What’s worse is that Triantos is only viable on this team at the most saturated positions in the Cubs’ system – second and center. I don’t see him in a Cubbie Blue uniform in 2026 unless Hoerner has a freak accident – he’s the most valuable trade chip we have that we simply don’t need.
Ben Cowles. Cowles is yet another utility guy we swiped from the Yankees. He gets hot at the plate sometimes, and projects as a consistent 10 HR guy. with a solid hit tool but not quite the running or range of Triantos. He can successfully cover 2nd and actually play well at 3rd at a major league level. Unfortunately, his once-enticing bat for a utility guy has trended downwards for two straight years in the minors. Cowles is, frankly, the longest shot of the entire 40-man roster after camp ends -he’s easy to DFA and low risk to lose.
Pedro Ramirez. Here’s the guy I have the most hopes for in the long run as the true utility option, and yet the least concern in the short run. He hasn’t even made it to AAA yet. Ramirez is what you really want to step in for Shaw once he is promoted to second. He’s a legit second, third, and shortstop of the future. He’s a switch hitter, and he stole 28 bases last year in AA. I hope to see him get his shot to play in 2027, but he’s only on the 40-man to avoid the rule 5 draft. Given his trajectory I see upside as a 2.5 WAR, 10th man option in 2028, in a truer Edman mold than Triantos.
The Guys in the Minors : The REAL Camp Competition.
There’s exactly two other Cubs everyone should be watching closely in camp.
Jonathon Long. Look, I don’t care what anyone says- this kid is going to be a serious MLB player with an .800 OPS or higher career average. He. Can. Hit. And despite being barely 23, his glove at first and third is a tick better than Patrick Wisdom already. there’s a coin toss of a chance that he looks so good that Tyler Austin is set packing. I project the upside potential of a lower strikeout rate, higher walk rate, and greater positional versatility than Austin. Don’t be surprised if Long forces the issue -he’s already flashing nearly the exact bat potential as Moises Ballesteros but from the opposite side of the plate- as a lefty though, Ballesteros has the strongside platoon advantage. And wouldn’t THAT be a dream platoon to duplicate at the Major league level! Check out these sweet stats from 2025 in roughly 520 at bats:
.305 BA .404 OBP .479 SLG ,883 OPS 20HR 91 RBI
Chas McCormick. Here’s the last guy with any real shot of Bogarting a roster spot somehow. Chas has had some flashes of serious ability at the major league level. However, when relegated to the bench in 2024 and 2025, his bat turned ugly. Even with those two down year, he still boasts a career .734 OPS (104 OPS+), 56 HR, 37 SB, and .247 BA in 1388 at bats. If he can reclaim his abilities, he could muscle his way onto the roster to replace an injured Suzuki, Happ, or PCA as a left-handed everyday outfielder with a solid glove, baserunning, and slightly above average hitting profile. However, he has very little chance to make the roster without injury results. don’t be surprised if he gets poached by a needy team for an active roster spot.
Overall, this is a really cool set of bench options. I’m happy with it. There’s enough to work with here that Jed Hoyer can wait until midseason to make any necessary adjustments and perhaps buy a high profile rental.
At any rate, I think its the best bench we’ve had in a long time – if only for the reason that Matt Shaw is one of the best bench players in all of Baseball, if not THE best.