The Cubs didn’t tender contracts to outfielder Mike Tauchman and infielder Nick Madrigal among a series of roster moves Friday, making both players free agents.
MLB teams had a 7 p.m. deadline to tender contracts to unsigned players for the 2025 season, including those who are eligible for arbitration.
The Cubs announced they had tendered contracts to left-hander Justin Steele, third baseman Isaac Parades and relievers Nate Pearson and Eli Morgan. They also agreed to contract terms with catcher Matt Thaiss and relievers Julian Merryweather and Keegan Thompson, avoiding arbitration.
Manager Craig Counsell showed how much he valued Tauchman’s skills by telling him at the beginning of spring training in February that he would have a spot on the Opening Day roster. And while Tauchman held on to a bench spot all season, a strained groin in mid-June sidelined him for a month. His role later shrunk when rookie Pete Crow-Armstrong proved he could be an everyday player, crowding the position group.
Tauchman, 33, finished the season with a .248/.357/.366 slash line. It was his second season with the Cubs after he rebooted his major-league career when he returned after spending the 2022 season playing in Korea.
Madrigal, 27, played in only 51 major-league games in 2024 because of injury. The Cubs optioned him to Triple-A Iowa in early June, but he suffered a fractured left hand in his first game there and missed the rest of the season.
Injuries have been a common issue for Madrigal, who most notably had season-ending hamstring surgery while with the White Sox in 2021. The Cubs traded for him and reliever Codi Heuer at the trade deadline that season, sending closer Craig Kimbrel to the South Side.
Since making his big-league debut in 2020, Madrigal has played 60 or more games in a season only once (92 in 2023).
With the Cubs, he made the transition from second base to third to fill a team need and exceeded defensive expectations. In three seasons with the team, he hit .251.