“If you look at our current lineup, our current depth chart, where are we most likely to be able to improve? It’s going to be on the pitching side. That’s where the most opportunity is.”
— Carter Hawkins, Chicago Cubs General Manager
As the Chicago Cubs gear up for a pivotal offseason ahead of the 2026 season, General Manager Carter Hawkins has made it clear where the team’s focus will lie: pitching. With the expected departure of Kyle Tucker, the Cubs’ offense will undoubtedly take a hit, but Hawkins believes the biggest area for improvement lies on the mound.
Speaking at the recent general manager meetings in Las Vegas, Hawkins outlined the team’s offseason strategy. While he acknowledged the possibility of adding a top-tier position player, he emphasized that pitching will be the primary focus.
“If you look at our current lineup, our current depth chart, where are we most likely to be able to improve? It’s going to be on the pitching side. That’s where the most opportunity is,” Hawkins stated. “It’s not that we wouldn’t acquire an awesome position player or be active on the position-player market in different ways. But it’s just most likely that it’s going to be in the pitching space where we find things that make us better for the cost that we’re looking to be paying at that time.”
The Cubs already boast a solid core of position players, including a strong outfield with Ian Happ, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Seiya Suzuki, and a dependable middle infield duo of Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner. Additionally, slugger Michael Busch is expected to anchor first base for the foreseeable future. But despite their offensive strength, pitching remains the area where the Cubs are looking to make the most significant strides.
The Cubs have an opportunity to bolster their rotation and bullpen, as the free-agent market is filled with high-quality pitchers this winter. Additionally, with the possibility of making trades, as demonstrated by their bold acquisition of Tucker last year, the Cubs’ front office is ready to be aggressive in acquiring the right arms to make them more competitive.
As the offseason progresses and spring training approaches, Cubs fans are eagerly awaiting to see how Hawkins, president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer, and the rest of the front office execute their vision. With pitching as their primary target, the Cubs could make significant strides toward becoming a championship contender in 2026.
Nathaniel Lowe is expected to be cut loose by the Red Sox this week. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)AP
The Red Sox have some roster cleanup due this week, with Tuesday marking the date by which teams need to add eligible prospects to their 40-man rosters to protect them from the Rule 5 draft and Friday representing the annual non-tender deadline for arbitration-eligible players. Don’t expect Boston to clear a roster spot by cutting bait with a homegrown former All-Star starter, though.
At this point, Boston is unlikely to non-tender injured righty Tanner Houck, multiple sources said Monday. With a 40-man roster crunch coming, there was some thought that cutting bait with Houck was possible due to his current situation. Houck, who took home $3.95 million in 2025, is projected (by MLBTradeRumors’ widely used model) to take home the same salary in 2026, but is expected to miss most if not all of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in August. Considering the 2027 season is in jeopardy due to labor tensions and Houck is set to hit free agency after that year, the possibility existed that the Red Sox could non-tender (release) Houck into free agency to save a bit of money knowing he won’t be ready to pitch for most of 2026. But sources indicate the Red Sox plan to tender him a contract.
It’s unclear if the sides have talked about a creative long-term deal. Tendering Houck a contract would keep him under club control ahead of negotiations to avoid arbitration and set a 2026 salary later in the winter.
By Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET, teams must add eligible prospects to their 40-man rosters to protect them from being poached in next month’s Rule 5 draft. The Red Sox, who have a full 40-man roster, don’t have a long list of candidates but are expected to make at least a move or two. Right-handed prospect David Sandlin is a virtual lock to be added, requiring at least one 40-man roster spot to be cleared. Lefties Shane Drohan and Hayden Mullins, righties Yordanny Monegro (injured) and Jedixson Paez and outfielder Miguel Bleis are among the other potential Rule 5 candidates in the organization. If the Red Sox want to make sure any of those players aren’t taken in the Rule 5 draft, they can add them. Doing so would require spots to be cleared.
Any roster spots that need to be cleared for prospect additions need to be opened simultaneously Tuesday, which is a day when small trades are usually made throughout baseball. Therefore, the Red Sox could get a jump on the Friday non-tender deadline (set for 8 p.m. ET) by moving on from players four days early. The non-tender date represents an opportunity for teams to cut bait with arbitration-eligible and pre-arbitration-eligible players and send them into free agency. The Red Sox, unlike in previous years, could be busy on non-tender day.
The most obvious non-tender candidate on the roster is first baseman Nathaniel Lowe, who is projected to earn $13.5 million in 2026. That mark represents much more than what he’d get on the open market after a down season that included him being cut by the Nationals. Lowe will almost certainly be lopped off the roster but could re-sign at a lower rate as he tests the open market. Boston is anticipating the healthy return of Triston Casas next season and is looking to upgrade the first base position via free agency or trade.
The Red Sox have seven other arbitration-eligible players and are certain to retain Kutter Crawford, Romy Gonzalez, Triston Casas and Brennan Bernardino at their low projected numbers. Connor Wong, who is projected to make $1.6 million in 2026, is expected to be tendered after Craig Breslow gave him a vote of confidence last week. Cooper Criswell already agreed to a one-year, $800,000 deal for 2026, removing him from non-tender consideration.
In addition to Lowe, the Red Sox could cut bait with some younger players on the roster. Righty Josh Winckowski (projected to make $800,000) is a candidate to be cut from the roster, as is lefty Jovani Morán. Tough roster decisions might be made with the utility group of Vaughn Grissom, David Hamilton, Nate Eaton and Nick Sogard later in the winter but for now, those players are projected to be safe.