The Cubs may not be staring at an outfield overhaul today, but the warning signs are already there. Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ have been fixtures in Chicago for years, and both continue to produce. Still, with free agency looming after the season, the front office has to start thinking about what comes next.
Suzuki is the tougher name to pin down. Sahadev Sharma of The Athletics recently noted that he may already have priced himself out of Chicago’s comfort zone. Through 102 games entering Thursday, Suzuki was on track for his fourth straight season with at least 20 home runs and 70 RBI, and he had piled up 3.1 fWAR while also providing plus defense in the outfield and walking at a career-best 11.8 percent rate.
That kind of season only makes him more expensive, especially in a weak free-agent market where Seattle’s Randy Arozarena is expected to sit near the top of the class. A bidding war could push Suzuki’s next contract well past $100 million, and Sharma also pointed out that handing a long-term deal to a 32-year-old would be out of character for this front office. Chicago may prefer to put that money toward pitching instead, with several members of the rotation and bullpen also headed for free agency.
Happ should be the easier of the two to retain, and he may be more open to a team-friendly arrangement. Even so, the Cubs could still decide they want a younger and steadier option in the long run. The most likely outcome is that Chicago doesn’t bring both back, which puts the spotlight on the organization’s internal answers and possible outside fits for 2027 and beyond.
Kevin Alcantara looks like the cleanest internal path. He has done the job in Triple-A, where his defense and baserunning have stood out, and he put together a 41-game on-base streak this year.
As Jason Kempf noted on August 8, 2026, “Kevin Alcantara has the longest active on-base streak in all of professional baseball at the moment. He has reached in 41 straight minor league games with @IowaCubs.
Seiya Suzuki has the longest active on-base streak in MLB at 25 straight games.
- Jason Kempf (@jkempradio) August 8, 2026”
There are doubts about whether that production will translate immediately, but the sample in the majors is tiny. Alcantara has only 45 MLB plate appearances, and the tools are there if the Cubs give him real runway.
Pedro Ramirez is another intriguing name, and frankly, it’s a small miracle he’s still in the organization after the trade deadline. Chicago held onto him while landing some of the deadline’s most prized pitchers, even though Ramirez drew plenty of trade buzz.
He can move around the diamond, hit from both sides, and has opened his big-league career with a .295/.350/.438 line in 45 games. He has barely played the outfield in Chicago, but he did log time there in Triple-A, so he’s at least a viable option to try in the corner.
Matt Shaw also belongs in the mix. He missed much of 2026 with a hand sprain, but the Cubs have already used him in the outfield, giving him 29 games there before the injury.
At the plate, Shaw has shown enough to keep the door open: 17 homers, 64 RBI and a 100 wRC+ across 584 career plate appearances. That’s not a finished product, but it’s the kind of foundation that can grow if he’s handed an everyday role.
If Chicago wants to shop outside the organization, Taylor Ward is a name to watch. He would not be a defensive match for Happ or Suzuki, but his bat carries real appeal.
Over the past five years, he has averaged about 24 homers a season with the Angels, and even though this year’s power output has dipped to seven homers and 30 RBI in 118 games, he has trimmed his strikeout rate from 26.4 percent in 2025 to 20.5 percent in 2026. His walk rate has climbed to 16.3 percent, making him one of the league’s better free-swinging-to-patient turnaround stories.
The fit only makes sense if the price stays low, but the upside is obvious: more thump than Happ, even if the glove takes a hit.
Then there’s Josiah Hartshorn, the long view. He’s only 19 and hasn’t reached Double-A yet, so this is more dream than plan for now.
But the power is real. In 99 games between Low-A and High-A, Hartshorn has hit 18 home runs, driven in 92 runs and posted a .951 OPS.
That performance has him ranked No. 60 on MLB Pipeline’s top 100 list. If everything breaks right, he could be in Triple-A by the middle of 2027 and pushing for a callup soon after.
The Cubs clearly weren’t willing to move Hartshorn at the deadline, and that says plenty. He’s not the immediate fix, and no one should treat him like one. But he has the kind of upside that keeps him in the conversation, even if Chicago needs to bridge the gap with a short-term veteran or another in-house option until he’s ready.
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