The Chicago Cubs did the hard thing on Friday and non-tendered three players who were arbitration eligible. They are now free agents.
Outfielder Rafael Ortega, Brailyn Marquez and Alexander Vizcaíno were the three left on the outside looking in.
The four players that were tendered a contract consisted of outfielder Ian Happ, second baseman Nick Madrigal, right hander Codi Heuer, and shortstop Nico Hoerner.
Pitchers Adrian Sampson and Rowan Wick avoided arbitration with one-year deals.
For the four players who were tendered contracts, it was all but a formality. Happ is the leader of the club on and off the field. It is also well within the realm of possibility that the team could look to extend him in the near future.
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Middle infielders Madrigal and Hoerner are also part of the Cubs’ future plans. Hoerner found his home with the club’s middle infield last season, and even if the Cubs do decide to add a star shortstop, he still bills to be an effective member of the lineup.
Madrigal is a player the team hoped would factor more into the team’s plans, but injuries have kept that goal from coming to fruition. Still, once regarded as one of baseball’s top prospects, Madrigal still has value, even if it lies in the trade market.
With these moves, Chicago’s roster now sits at 37 which means more is to come.
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