Chicago

Cubs

Boyd will have a relatively unobstructed path in spring training to secure a starting rotation spot in Chicago with only youngster Ben Brown standing in his way. The 33-year-old southpaw struck out nearly 28 percent of the batters he faced last season across eight starts for the upstart Guardians, and also looked extremely impressive in three postseason starts, in his return from Tommy John surgery. The raw stuff appears to be back to pre-surgery levels, and he’s always missed enough bats — when healthy — to make an impact for fantasy managers, especially in deeper mixed leagues. At a bare minimum, Boyd is worthy of a speculative dice roll in the late stages of deeper fantasy drafts next spring as a low-risk lottery ticket.

Kriske struck out 34.2 percent of the batters he faced last season at the Triple-A level, splitting the year between the Orioles and Reds organizations. The 30-year-old righty boasts a lackluster 11.22 ERA, 1.85 WHIP and 25/17 K/BB ratio across 22 2/3 innings (20 appearances) at the highest level since 2020. At a bare minimum, Kriske represents quality organizational relief depth for the Cubs heading into 2025 and his ability to miss bats makes him an interesting low-risk lottery ticket.

Bickford bolsters Chicago’s relief depth heading into the 2025 campaign after making eight unremarkable relief appearances last season for the Mets, finishing with a bloated 8.64 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 6/1 K/BB ratio across 8 1/3 innings of work. The 29-year-old journeyman right-hander holds a serviceable 4.62 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 210/73 K/BB ratio across 189 innings (187 appearances) in the big leagues dating back to 2020.

All three players might have been non-tendered if they hadn’t agreed to terms today. ESPN’s Jesse Rogers said Merryweather will make $1.225 million next season. Thompson and Thaiss were both due something similar.

This was a formality after all of these players were DFA’d to open up 40-man roster spots on Tuesday. They’re officially free agents now. It sounds like the Cubs are hoping Alzolay returns, but Wisdom is likely to head elsewhere.

Madrigal hit .221/.280/.256 over the first two months of last season before being exiled to Triple-A. Once there, he suffered a fractured hand in his first game for Iowa and never did make it back. Madrigal is just turning 28 in March, and one would think his ability to put the bat on the ball and play solid defense would make him a useful bench player. Still, he needs to get the ball out of the infield at least once a week or so.

There was interest in Tauchman in July, but the Cubs rebuffed it, suggesting he was in their 2025 plans. Alas, it looks like he’ll head elsewhere. The 33-year-old hit .248/.357/.366 in 350 plate appearances last season. His defensive value has fallen off, but the on-base ability makes him useful.

Bellinger exercised his player option following the 2024 season, which means he will be playing on a one-year, $27.5 million deal in 2025. The 29-year-old regressed following his resurgent 2023 season and finished this year hitting .266/.325/.426 with 18 home runs and nine steals in 130 games. Rosenthal also added that the team is expected to have some trouble trading Bellinger since the veteran can also opt in for another $27.5 million season in 2026, so he’s not really on a one-year deal. Given that he was slightly above league average in 2024, teams may be hesitant to pay that much money over two years if they don’t feel he can get back to his 2023 form.

Thaiss was designated for assignment by the Angels last week. The 29-year-old will battle for a bench spot with the Cubs in the Cactus League with the ability to play behind the plate and first base.

Wingenter is booted from the roster to make room for Matt Thaiss, with Thaiss coming over in a trade with the Angels. The 6-foot-7 right-hander should see interest on the waiver wire as a depth arm.