The Cubs non-tendered outfielder Mike Tauchman infielder Nick Madrigal on Friday evening in a series of roster moves. They become free agents.
Friday evening was the deadline to tender contracts to unsigned players for the 2025 season, including arbitration-eligible players.
The Cubs announced that they’d tendered contracts to left-hander Justin Steele, third baseman Isaac Parades and relievers Nate Pearson and Eli Morgan. They also agreed to terms with catcher Matt Thaiss and relievers Julian Merryweather and Keegan Thompson, avoiding arbitration.
Cubs manager Craig Counsell showed how much he valued Tauchman’s skillset by telling the outfielder at the beginning of spring training that he’d have a spot on the Opening Day roster. And while Tauchman held onto a bench spot for the year, a groin strain in mid-June sidelined him for a month. And the fourth outfielder’s role shrunk when rookie Pete Crow-Armstrong proved he could be an everyday player, crowding the position group.
Tauchman finished the year slashing .248/.357/.366. It was his second season with the Cubs, as he rebooted his major-league career after spending the 2022 season playing in Korea.
Madrigal played just 51 major-league games this past season due to injury. The Cubs optioned him to Triple-A Iowa in early June, and in his first game with the I-Cubs, he fractured his left hand. Madrigal was sidelined for the rest of the season.
Injuries have been a common issue for Madrigal, who most notably underwent season-ending hamstring surgery in 2021 while with the White Sox. The Cubs traded for him and reliever Codi Heuer at the trade deadline that year, sending closer Craig Kimbrel to the South Side.
Since debuting in 2020, Madrigal has only surpassed the 60-game mark in a season once, in 2023.
With the Cubs, he transitioned from second base to third to fill a team need and exceeded defensive expectations at the new position. In three seasons with the team, he hit .251