The official word on tender decisions today are trickling out, and the first is the guy the Cubs are letting go. As expected, the Chicago Cubs today non-tendered catcher Reese McGuire (per Jesse Rogers). In other words, although he was controllable via arbitration, the Cubs are setting him free. He was a strong fill-in third catcher for the when Miguel Amaya was injured (.226/.245/.444/86 wRC+, good defense), but there was just no way to justify tendering him a deal that could be worth $2 million as the 4th catcher on the 40-man roster. Maybe a new minor league deal could be worked out – the continuity would be great – but it’s possible McGuire will first want to shop around for a guaranteed deal as a back-up somewhere. The decision brings the 40-man roster down to 31. And we await official word on reliever Eli Morgan, starter Justin Steele, and swing-man Javier Assad, the only other arbitration-eligible players.
https://www.bleachernation.com/cubs/2025/11/21/chicago-cubs-tender-decisions-mcguire-morgan-steele-assad/
