The Chicago Cubs went into the offseason with a clear vision they largely executed.
Ahead of pitchers and catchers reporting to Mesa, Ariz., on Wednesday, the Cubs enter spring training knowing their two major acquisitions, third baseman Alex Bregman and starter Edward Cabrera, help position them to build off last year’s 92-win season.
The Cubs return the majority of a roster that reached the postseason for the first time since 2020, leaving only a couple of opening-day roster spots up for grabs. With Cubs camp soon getting underway, here are three storylines to watch.
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1. How will they optimize their bench?
Barring an injury in camp, the Cubs’ position-player group is largely set, especially the starters.
That leaves the bench to configure with spots already allocated to catcher Miguel Amaya as part of the tandem with Carson Kelly, infielder/outfielder Tyler Austin and infielder Matt Shaw, who also will get work in the outfield this spring to prepare him for a superutility role.
The biggest questions the Cubs must answer as they evaluate their bench options during camp: What do they want to prioritize for their fourth outfielder spot, and will they open the season with Moisés Ballesteros on the team to get regular designated hitter at-bats? After their starting position group was among the healthiest in the majors last year, the Cubs are anticipating that could be an area of regression in 2026. It made fortifying their bench an offseason priority, evident in signing Austin while bolstering their outfield depth through the waiver claim of Justin Dean and two minor-league signings that included big-league camp invites for Chas McCormick and Dylan Carlson.
The trio can play all three outfield positions, providing important backup depth to center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and giving manager Craig Counsell flexibility if he wants to give him a day off against a tough lefty starter. Kevin Alcántara will also be in the mix, though the Cubs gained a fourth option year on the 23-year-old prospect, which would allow him to start the year at Triple-A Iowa if the organization wants to open the season with a more experienced player in McCormick or Carlson.
The Cubs should have plenty of at-bats to give Ballesteros at DH if they want his big-league ready bat in the majors rather than getting him more regular work at catcher in Iowa. General manager Carter Hawkins indicated last month that the Cubs will see how Ballesteros’ role will play out over the course of spring.
“Whether he starts with the club or not, we feel like he’s a great option for us and feel like he’s going to be a great hitter in this league for a long time,” Hawkins said. “We want to have him catch, we want to make that value be not just the bat so we’ll be focused on that too.”
The presence of Shaw and Austin give the Cubs viable flexibility too. If Ballesteros isn’t part of the opening-day roster, their positional flexibility allows regulars to stay in the lineup as the DH but get a day off playing the field.
2. Can the Cubs take advantage of intriguing free agents still available?
Diamondbacks starter Zac Gallen delivers against the Cubs on July 20, 2024, at Wrigley Field. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer and the Cubs front office always look to find value and keep an eye on the free-agent market into spring training.
With camp only days away, there could still be value found among the remaining free agents that might entice the Cubs to make another move before the season. Right-hander Zac Gallen is still an intriguing arm given his age (30) and upside coming off a down year. He likely won’t be cheap but would raise the ceiling of the Cubs rotation, where the organization has depth though a few durability question marks.
Other intriguing names if the price is right: right-handers Chris Bassitt, Nick Martinez, Evan Phillips, Zack Littell and Michael Kopech.
The Cubs know how important pitcher depth becomes in the postseason after injuries and ineffectiveness compromised their starter options in October. They want to protect against that as much as possible, particularly with limited starting pitching prospects who are candidates to debut this year. Right-hander Jaxon Wiggins is their most notable such prospect who could see a Cade Horton-like opportunity arise at some point this summer. Getting left-hander Justin Steele back at some point will give them a boost.
3. Which internal or nonroster invitees will emerge to earn a bullpen spot?
Cubs pitcher Luke Little delivers against the Brewers on Aug. 18, 2025, at Wrigley Field. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Counsell loves “out-getters” and will have a lot of fresh faces in the bullpen to work with as he navigates the back end of games.
Right-hander Daniel Palencia and left-hander Caleb Thielbar return, while four offseason additions safely project as part of the pen with right-handers Phil Maton, Hunter Harvey and Jacob Webb and left-hander Hoby Milner.
How the Cubs opt to build the bullpen and pitching staff will partly depend on what roles Colin Rea and Javier Assad fill and if they choose to have Assad, Ben Brown and/or Jordan Wicks start the year at Triple A to maintain starting pitching depth. They also have seven relievers on the 40-man roster — a group that includes lefties Ryan Rolison and Luke Little and right-hander Gavin Hollowell — who give them optionable arms. Right-hander Porter Hodge showed how great he can be during a stellar 2024 rookie campaign and is looking to bounce back from an inconsistent and injury-plagued 2025, making him a wild card for this pen.
In a best-case scenario, one of their nonroster invitees would become the 2026 version of Brad Keller, who impressed last spring en route to becoming a key piece in their bullpen, which he turned into a multiyear offseason deal with the Philadelphia Phillies. Right-handers Trent Thornton, Collin Snider, Corbin Martin and Jeff Brigham are NRI relievers to watch in camp.