Presenting the 2025 Chicago Cubs as National League contenders
By Bill Felber
The fringe players for the next Chicago Cubs contender
The Cubs acquired Nick Madrigal to play second base last July in the deal that sent bullpen help to Chicago’s South Side. In his first two seasons, Madrigal hit .317 with light power and good contact. In effect, he’s Nico Hoerner. His long-term role will be more secure if and when he actually starts hitting on the North Side (to date, he’s hitting .203 with a .491 OPS in a Cubs uniform). Neither of those numbers projects a long-term future, but he has all season to change the impression.
Justin Steele is a left-hander the Cubs have permitted to audition for a rotation spot this spring. Thus far the audition has not gone well as Steele is 1-4 with a 5.32 ERA in a half dozen starts. For the Cubs, the easiest path to team success involves Steele becoming a reliable starter. He needs to show he can do that.
Marcus Stroman’s deal runs through 2024, so he and the Cubs would need to mutually commit to an extension in order to project him as a piece of a 2025 contender. Stroman’s introduction has not been inspirational. He’s 1-3 with a 5.13 ERA in five starts … and he’s injured. That being so, counting on Stroman as a centerpiece of a 2025 contender (he’d be 34 then) is a big assumption.
Counting on any other of today’s regulars for 2025 is a longshot at best. Catcher Willson Contreras is a free agent at season’s end, and is likely to be in big demand. Infielders Frank Schwindel and Patrick Wisdom haven’t shown the offensive consistency, and Alfonso Rivas needs to show he is more than a platoon prospect.
Jason Heyward’s deal terminates in 2023. As for the other rotation spots, Drew Smyly and Wade Miley are both journeymen who would be well into their 30s three seasons from now. Closer David Robertson will be 40 in 2025.