CHICAGO — The MLB offseason is upon us – the Cubs have made their decisions on options and free agents are now allowed to talk to all 30 teams. So it’s only natural to start wondering: What will the 2026 Cubs look like?

Well, that will take form over the next few months, and we’ll keep you updated on how the Cubs’ 26-man roster looks throughout the frigid winter.

“It leaves you wanting more … it makes you want to work that much harder this winter, it makes you want get in earlier, makes you want to make that much better decisions.”

Jed Hoyer says the Wrigley postseason crowds were intoxicating. pic.twitter.com/zeeoifsIDM

— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) October 15, 2025

For now, we’re going to give you our first roster projection for the 2026 season.

But before we dive in, we have a few caveats. One, this isn’t a prediction of who we think the Cubs will sign or trade for, but rather a look at the roster as currently constructed. Second, the Cubs 40-man roster has 28 players as of this writing. 

Let’s jump in.

Starting Rotation (5+1 IL)

RHP Javier Assad
LHP Matthew Boyd
RHP Cade Horton
RHP Colin Rea
RHP Jameson Taillon

IL – LHP Justin Steele

The rotation is arguably the biggest need of the offseason, especially given how that group performed in their eight postseason games. They really had two starters that Craig Counsell could trust – Boyd and Taillon.

They’ll face a question in the next week or so with Shota Imanaga. The left-hander had his three-year club option declined, which activated a one-year player option, which Imanaga declined. The Cubs saddled him with a qualifying offer on Thursday, meaning he could return on a one-year, $22.025 million deal. 

[MORE: How important is it for Cubs to upgrade rotation in offseason?]

The Cubs and their fans will always ponder what could have been if Horton was healthy and in the playoff rotation. President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said in his end-of-season press conference last month that the rookie would have been on the NLCS roster had they advanced. Regardless, he’ll be a key piece for this rotation next season.

Rea was arguably the Cubs’ most underrated player, with Counsell calling him a “glue” during the playoffs. He’ll be in the rotation mix after signing a one-year deal with a club option for 2027 this week, but may pitch out of the bullpen at times, too. 

Assad – like Rea – will figure into the rotation mix.  

Steele will start 2026 on the IL as he recovers from the season-ending elbow surgery he underwent in April, but could be back in the majors at some point in the first half of 2026.

Bullpen (8):

RHP Ben Brown
RHP Porter Hodge
RHP Gavin Hollowell
LHP Luke Little
RHP Eli Morgan
RHP Daniel Palencia
RHP Ethan Roberts
LHP Jordan Wicks

Like the rotation, the bullpen will need some addressing this winter. There are few certainties in life, but it’s very fair to predict this is not what the 2026 Opening Day bullpen will look like.

The Cubs’ bullpen was a strength in 2025 and was built by amassing unheralded names like Brad Keller, Caleb Thielbar, Andrew Kittredge and Drew Pomeranz who turned into October pillars. It’s possible the Cubs try to reunite with one or three of Keller, Thielbar and Pomeranz, who are free agents, but we’ll see how the bullpen shakes out over the next few months. Kittredge was dealt to the Baltimore Orioles earlier in the week, who then picked up his one-year, $9 million club option.

Palencia was the breakout star in 2025 and in the playoffs, operating as a firefighter and entering in high-leverage situations, no matter the inning, and pitching out of jams. He’ll be a high-leverage “out-getter” for Counsell in 2026.

Hodge was a high-leverage arm to start 2025 and should be in the reliever mix, too.

Beyond that, there are some arms with intriguing stuff, but bullpens are volatile and evolve, and that will surely be the case over the next three months.

Catchers (4):

Miguel Amaya
Moisés Ballesteros
Carson Kelly
Reese McGuire

Carrying three catchers is rare, but not unheard of. Four? That’s poppycock.

Let’s start with Ballesteros – he proved he can hit in the big leagues and might be more DH than catcher, so let’s call it 3.5 catchers. If the Cubs can’t bring back Kyle Tucker, Ballesteros could be part of the solution at the DH role.

[READ: Cubs extend qualifying offers to Kyle Tucker, Shota Imanaga]

Amaya and Kelly formed a good platoon before the former went down with an injury, returned for a game and sprained his ankle, ending his season. They will have the inside track at being the tandem in 2026, but Amaya’s replacement, McGuire, was also really solid in that role.

He clubbed nine home runs in 140 plate appearances, a whopping 6.4% home run rate. If McGuire was a qualified hitter, that’d rank ninth among all hitters, above guys like Juan Soto and Pete Alonso. Now, he’s unlikely to do that over 500-plus plate appearances, but that production was still solid. 

McGuire is projected to make $1.9 million in his last arbitration season, per MLB Trade Rumors. That’s a hefty price to pay for a player who would, at-best, be a third catcher. It’s possible the Cubs try to move the 30-year-old or he becomes a non-tender candidate ahead of the Nov. 21 deadline. 

Infielders (4)

Michael Busch
Nico Hoerner
Matt Shaw
Dansby Swanson

No real surprises here, but the Cubs will want to add depth in this department off the bench. Last season, Willi Castro was a super utility player that provided depth at second, third and the outfield and Justin Turner provided cover at the corner infield spots. Turner is a free agent after his mutual option was declined on Thursday. 

The Cubs will want to find some options to fill those roles in the offseason.

Outfielders (5)

Kevin Alcántara
Owen Caissie
Pete Crow-Armstrong
Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki

The biggest question for the Cubs this offseason will be what happens with Tucker. If he returns, that likely slides Suzuki back to the DH role and means Caissie is off this list, because Alcántara is out of minor league options in 2026.

If Tucker doesn’t return, Suzuki slides into right field, like he did in the playoffs, leaving the DH role as a spot that Counsell can rotate players throughout.