The Cubs are still locked in on October, but the first real offseason breadcrumbs are already showing up.
In Sahadev Sharma’s latest piece for The Athletic, the biggest thread is Miguel Amaya and the idea that he’ll be an important part of the Cubs’ 2027 roster. But tucked into that reporting were a couple of early signals about where things may be headed with Seiya Suzuki and Carson Kelly.
Sharma said the Cubs’ offseason priority will be pitching. That matters for Suzuki because, as he pointed out, the team could end up pricing itself out of a reunion. If Chicago is planning to spend heavily on arms in free agency, Suzuki stands out as one of the better bats on the market, which could make a fit with the Cubs harder to line up.
Suzuki and Ian Happ are both set to hit free agency after the season. Of the two, Suzuki seems like the cleaner match for the Cubs on paper.
But he’s also likely to draw more attention elsewhere, which could leave Happ as the more realistic name for a discounted deal. Even then, the thin free-agent market could make that tough.
Kelly’s situation sounds a little different, but the direction is similar. Sharma wrote that a return for the veteran catcher can’t be ruled out, yet the Cubs are also operating as if Kelly won’t be part of the 2027 roster. That helps explain why Owen Ayers could get a look before the end of this season.
Kelly, like Suzuki, is in position to be one of the best free agents at his spot this offseason. And that makes a reunion tricky if the Cubs aren’t interested in paying top-of-the-market prices to keep him.
Taken together, the read from Sharma suggests the Cubs’ front office moved with urgency at the deadline for a reason. The club’s contention window may still be open in 2027, but the roster around it is clearly headed for some major changes at important spots.
In Other News...
Phil Matons Cubs Setback Just Became A Bigger Bullpen Concern
Phil Matons latest knee issue has turned into a far more complicated Cubs concern than it first appeared. What was initially described as tendonitis is now something more serious, and that matters for a bullpen that has already had to lean on depth and recent roster churn to keep the late innings stable.
The good news for Chicago is that the pitching staff is in a better place than it was a few weeks ago, with trades and minor-league rehab assignments giving the club more cover. Even so, Matons recovery now has a different kind of uncertainty around it, and the Cubs can afford to be cautious only because they have managed to build some breathing room elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]
Cubs Face A September Roster Squeeze Few Surviving Arms Can Escape
The post-deadline version of the Cubs pitching staff has started to take shape, and it has the feel of a group that looks deeper on paper than it will in practice. With additions such as Kevin Gausman and Clay Holmes bolstering the rotation picture, Chicagos biggest problem now is not finding arms but deciding which ones can actually stay when the calendar turns and the injured pitchers start filtering back into the mix.
That leaves a handful of current roster spots in a precarious place, especially with bullpen roles and overall composition coming under pressure heading into September. Javier Assad, Aaron Civale, Caleb Thielbar and James Triantos are all in the conversation as the Cubs work through those choices, and the squeeze figures to get even tighter once the club has to clear room for everyone it wants to carry. [Read more 🡒]