3 Cubs who won't be back despite surviving the MLB Winter Meetings

Cubs who won't be back: Nick Madrigal

At the non-tender deadline, it felt likely that the Cubs were going to non-tender at least one of their third basemen. Both Nick Madrigal and Patrick Wisdom have their strengths, but neither really proved to be consistently solid enough to assume everyday roles. Madrigal especially felt like a player Chicago would consider moving on from, but instead, they kept him around. At least for now.

Madrigal was traded from the White Sox to the Cubs in the Craig Kimbrel deal after he had shown a lot of promise on the South Side, but ever since his move to the Cubs, Madrigal hasn't quite been as productive.

This past season, Madrigal set a new career-high with 92 games played but slashed .263/.311/.352 with two home runs and 28 RBI. He's never had power, but Madrigal didn't get on base nearly enough for a guy who doesn't hit home runs. Yes, he rarely strikes out, has a bit of speed, and plays solid defense, but the lack of power combined with his subpar on-base ability in 2023 made him a relatively useless player.

If the Cubs want to win in 2024, he can't be counted on as a regular. Sure, he's fine as a backup, but the only other position he plays is second base, a spot locked down by Nico Hoerner. Wisdom can at the very least help the Cubs at another weak spot, first base, while providing some pop. His strikeouts are annoying, as is his inability to get on base a lot, but his OPS was over 100 points higher than Madrigal's in 2023. It really comes down to that. One of them should be replaced, and Madrigal was not as good as Wisdom.