The Chicago Cubs are a confounding franchise. A World Series contender not even a decade ago, they underwent an extensive rebuild following the 2021 season and finally emerged as a postseason entrant once again in 2025.
However, their roster construction is bizarre to say the least, with a lot of veterans under contracts that expired this offseason or are set to expire in 2026. They sort of went all-in on this past season by trading a trio of cost-controlled youngsters for Kyle Tucker, but failed to do anything to supplement their core beyond that at the trade deadline.