What felt like a magical season at times for the Chicago Cubs ended in agony with a Wild Card series loss in San Diego. The Cubs had a pair of 10-game winning streaks in one month early on this year, and wound up getting an MVP-caliber season from Pete Crow-Armstrong. They even led the Majors in runs scored, in addition to continuing to be among the best defensively.
Chicago seemingly had the ingredients to go on a run, especially after fortifying their pitching staff at the trade deadline, but clearly, that wasn’t the case. With another early postseason exit on Jed Hoyer’s ledger, the need for changes is abundantly clear. Those changes start with letting these players go.
OF Seiya Suzuki
Seiya Suzuki signed a five-year deal with the Cubs ahead of the 2022 season, and it’s safe to say he lived up to it. He averaged 22 home runs, 73 RBI and an .823 OPS over that span, proving to be a rock-solid middle-of-the-order hitter for Chicago. He’s a player the Cubs should have an interest in re-signing, but will that actually happen?
Not only is Suzuki already 32 years old, but he’s one of the best position players in a remarkably weak free agency class. This will likely result in him receiving a contract that’s longer and more expensive than the Cubs will or should want to give him. They probably won’t keep both Suzuki and Ian Happ, and while Suzuki is the better player, Happ should come cheaper, which is music to Tom Ricketts’ ears.
LHP Shota Imanaga
Shota Imanaga has a 3.45 ERA in three big-league seasons, all with the Cubs, and he had a rock-solid 3.77 ERA in 32 starts and 174.1 innings of work in 2026. He’s gotten the job done more often than not with Chicago, and given their rotation weakness, letting Imanaga go sounds like a mistake in theory. There’s reason to believe the Cubs will go in this direction, however.
It comes down to his inability to keep the ball in the yard. Imanaga allowed 35 home runs this season, a shade under two per nine innings and the second most in the Majors. Given how unpredictable the wind can be at Wrigley, Imanaga can be great when conditions favor him, and he can be completely uncompetitive when they don’t, making him far too difficult to trust.
OF Michael Conforto
Michael Conforto signed a Minor League deal with the Cubs and wound up spending the entire year with the big-league club. He was quite good, too, slashing .240/.331/.469 with 15 home runs and 45 RBI in 113 games. He wound up finding his way in the team’s lineup pretty often as a DH against right-handed pitching.
While Conforto was a pleasant surprise, this was his best offensive season since the shortened 2020 campaign. Relying on him to repeat his success doesn’t sound like the best idea, and the fact that he doesn’t do much against lefties and isn’t any good in the field makes him a complicated player to roster. If he’d accept a cheap one-year deal as a bench piece against righties, it’s something to consider, but the Cubs should probably just let him go.
RHP Aaron Civale
Speaking of pleasant surprises, Aaron Civale was an unsung hero for the Cubs. Acquired shortly after he was DFA’d by the A’s when the Cubs were in dire need of pitching depth, Civale went from having a 5.42 ERA as a primary starter with the Athletics to posting a 1.72 ERA in 18 appearances as a reliever with Chicago. His ability to go multiple innings helped the Cubs a ton.
With that being said, Civale probably wants to start, and even if he can’t find such an opportunity, he shouldn’t be relied on as a reliever either. The Cubs need more established options in their rotation and bullpen, and while Civale is fine as a depth piece, depth pieces are easily replaceable.
RHP Kevin Gausman
Kevin Gausman was the biggest name acquired by the Cubs at the trade deadline, but results were mixed in his short tenure on the North Side. He had some good outings, including delivering seven innings of one-run ball in a win against the Brewers, but he also had his share of clunkers. Gausman had a 4.51 ERA overall this year, marking a steep decline from his tremendous run with the Toronto Blue Jays, and his advanced metrics aren’t where they once were either.
Gausman will be 36 years of age in January, meaning he might never recapture the greatness he once had on the mound. Bringing him back as an experienced innings eater wouldn’t be the worst thing, but the Cubs need to be aiming higher. Even with Justin Steele and eventually Cade Horton set to return, the Cubs could use an ace. Gausman, at this stage of his career, is not that.
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