The World Series is tied two games apiece, and with Game Five tonight, we know that this thing is going back to Toronto for at least one game on Friday. So the season is going to end either Friday night or Saturday night, and immediately thereafter: the Major League Baseball offseason begins.
The first thing that happens at that moment? Every player eligible for free agency becomes a free agent.
For that reason, I figured it was a good time to remind folks of the many, many free agents the Cubs have hopping off the roster very soon.
There are three categories of coming free agents, and the Cubs will have guys in all three categories. It’s a whole lot of players, which is why I earlier discussed all the 40-man flexibility the Cubs will have at the start of the offseason.
Immediate Free Agents
These are the players without any kind of contractual quirks. They simply have enough service time to qualify for free agency, and they are not already under contract for 2026.
RHP Ryan Brasier
UTL Willi Castro
RHP Aaron Civale
RHP Brad Keller
LHP Drew Pomeranz
LHP Taylor Rogers
1B Carlos Santana
RHP Michael Soroka
LHP Caleb Thielbar
OF Kyle Tucker
Potential Free Agents After Options Decisions
The above group will be free agents immediately after the World Series ends, but this group will still be under control for up to a few more days – just enough time to make these options decisions. If you missed the earlier discussion on how the decisions might play out, see here.
LHP Shōta Imanaga (dizzyingly complex web of options possibilities)
RHP Andrew Kittredge ($9 million team option, $1 million buyout)
RHP Colin Rea ($6 million team option, $750K buyout)
INF Justin Turner ($10 million mutual option, $2 million buyout)
Likely Free Agents After Non-Tenders
The Cubs have just four arbitration-eligible players this time around, and only one of those four, Reese McGuire, is likely to be non-tendered. The Cubs could do that early in the offseason, or they could wait until the tender deadline in late-November.
So, all told, the Cubs are going to have 10 immediate free agents, an 11th free agent almost immediately thereafter (Turner), potentially as many as three others in that window (Imanaga, Kittredge, Rea; probably not, though), and then a 12th free agent whenever the Cubs decide to non-tender McGuire.
