3 Cubs free agents who will leave, 2 who won't
By Luke Norris
Coming off two straight losing seasons, the Chicago Cubs weren't expected to compete for a spot in the 2023 MLB Playoffs.
But with just over three weeks remaining in the regular season, following a stretch in which they won 14 of 20, the Cubs were right there in the mix. At 76-64, the Cubs were 1.5 games back of the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central but held the second NL Wild Card slot, sitting 3.5 games ahead of the Miami Marlins and four games ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Unfortunately for the North Siders, they won just seven of their final 22 games and were officially eliminated from playoff contention on the second-to-last day of the season, ultimately finishing one game behind the World Series-bound Diamondbacks for the No. 6 seed.
Despite the late-season collapse, an 83-79 campaign should still be seen as a success for David Ross & Co. But with success comes pressure the following year, and Cubs fans will undoubtedly expect their team to contend again in 2024.
With that said, Jed Hoyer and the Ricketts family will have some decisions to make once MLB free agency begins. While the Cubs may be looking to bring in some new blood, they've also got several players from the 2023 roster who either will be unrestricted free agents or have options to hit the market.
And that's where we'll put our focus today. So, let's take a look at three Cubs free agents who won't call Wrigley Field home in 2024 and two who will.
Cubs free agent who won't be back in 2024: Michael Fulmer, RHP
This is an absolute guarantee. Michael Fulmer will not play the 2024 season with the Chicago Cubs.
Okay, that's a bit of a copout as the right-handed reliever won't be playing for anyone next year as he recently underwent UCL revision surgery, which brings with it roughly the same recovery time as Tommy John surgery.
But even if Fulmer, who turns 31 in March, were healthy, it's doubtful the Cubs would have brought him back, not after a season in which he went 3-5 with a 4.42 ERA, the second-worst clip of his career.
Since that was a touch too easy, we'll give you a bonus player and say that soon-to-be 35-year-old righty reliever Shane Greene won't be back either.