Chicago Cubs impending roster crisis seen as a benefit to NL Central rivals

The Chicago Cubs have done a lot this offseason.

There’s been the acquisition of free agent LHP Matthew Boyd, the trade for Houston Astros all-star right fielder Kyle Tucker, and their most recent trade for Astros closer Ryan Pressly. They’ve also picked up Eli Morgan, Cody Poteet, Caleb Thielbar, Colin Rea, Carson Kelly, Jon Berti, and others.

Needless to say, there’s been a lot of roster movement.

Chicago Cubs, Losing While Winning?

And while the additions should make for a better team this 2025 season, there are also some issues when it comes to holding on to existing talent and/or making room for emerging talent without letting some key figures slip through their grip.

Cincinnati Reds blogger Abigail Miskowiec of Blog Red Machine has pointed out this particular dilemma the Cubs will be facing and how the Reds, in particular, may take advantage of the situation.

The Impending Roster Crisis: A Benefit To Division Rival?

In short, the Cubs may have to, out of necessity, drop some of their young talent as veterans are added and top prospects make their way to the majors.

Per Miskowiec:

“First of all, five of the seven prospects [from MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospects list] are not on Chicago’s 40-man roster. This is most problematic for Matt Shaw, who will likely compete for the starting job at third base and will need to be added. The Cubs are further handcuffed by their selection of Gage Workman in the Rule 5 Draft this offseason; Workman has to remain on the 26-man roster or be offered back to the Detriot Tigers.

The prospects aside from Shaw are blocked at their position. Kevin Alcántara may see more time in the outfield, but it seems unlikely that both he and Owen Caissie will compete for meaningful reps with Tucker, Ian Happ, and Pete Crow-Armstrong. The same goes for second baseman James Triantos, who is stuck behind Gold Glove winner Nico Hoerner.

In short, the Cubs are attempting to have their cake and eat it, too. (Or have their big-name stars and usher in the next generation.) This is a landscape from which the Reds can benefit.

Sooner or later, Chicago will need to cut the chaff from the 40-man roster. The DFAs are coming, particularly for the relievers. Keegan Thompson, Julian Merryweather, and former first-rounder Jordan Wicks are all out of options but may not make the Opening Day roster. Considering the state of the Reds’ bullpen, Chicago’s loss could be Cincy’s gain.”

It’s Already Happening

This dynamic has already started to manifest itself, as the Cubs had to trade one of their top pitching prospects, Michael Arias, for cash considerations to create 40-man roster space for Rea earlier this month. They also just had to DFA Matt Festa nineteen days after trading for him, to make room for Pressly.

To a much smaller extent, the Cubs’ emerging roster dilemma is similar to that of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who will have to let some talent loose simply because they don’t have room to keep them. Last year, for example, the Dodgers traded majors-ready Michael Busch to the Cubs for a pair of prospects, because they had no place to play Busch.

Now, mind you, having too much talent is not necessarily a bad thing. Losing quality talent due to roster inflexibility, however, will always be problematic– especially for a team like the Cubs, who are trying to balance a roster built on youth, but fortified by veteran acquisitions.