If this is 2022, I seriously would not give a shit about these guys sucking, but I’m operating under the impression that the 2023 Chicago Cubs are actually trying to be a playoff team, so it actually matters when bad players keep getting playing time. Here are the four main Cubs players who should be on the hot seat as we have now passed the quarter mark of the regular season.

Eric Hosmer – Age: 33. Contract: 1 Year, $720K

Eric Hosmer has played in 31 games this season and through 100 plate appearances, he’s had worse production on offense than Frank Schwindel. Read about it more in the link below.

The Cubs have already demoted Hosmer to a bench role, calling up Matt Mervis on May 5. So, at least there are signs that the team is closer to fully letting Hosmer go. He’s only played in seven games in May, but despite the diminished playing time, the 33-year-old is still finding ways to hurt the team when he’s in the lineup.

So far this month, Hosmer has four hits in 22 at-bats, while striking out six times, walking once and driving in one run. The left-handed hitter has grounded into three double plays, while recording zero extra base hits in May. Overall in 2023, Hosmer has a .610 OPS and ranks last on the Cubs in batting average, OBP and slugging among players with at least 100 plate appearances.

Nick Madrigal – Age: 26. Contract: 1st year of arbitration, $1.225 Million

Just like last year, at this point I don’t mind that the Cubs are trotting out Nick Madrigal onto the field and seeing what they have in the young infielder. Right now, especially with Nico Hoerner on the injured list with a hamstring strain, Madrigal is getting more playing time and again, cool. However, I have no idea why David Ross continues to bat one of the worst hitters in baseball at the very top of the Cubs lineup.

So far in 2023, Madrigal has a 58 wRC+ in 91 plate appearances. He has a terrible slash line of .241/.275/.299, with a total of four extra base hits, three doubles and a triple.

I’ll say it again, as bad as Madrigal has been, I don’t mind the Cubs playing him as much as they are, but he should be on the hot seat and should be a candidate to be sent to Triple-A once Hoerner returns, which could be as soon as this Friday.

Nick Madrigal has simply not been good since coming over from the White Sox and there aren’t any signs that he’s improving. His ground ball rate is up to a laughable 66.7 percent, which makes sense when you consider that he chases a very high percentage of pitches. Madrigal has only walked two times this year. He’s also pulling the ball a quarter of the time, leading to a 25.3 percent soft contact rate, the highest in a season for Madrigal.

Not all contact is good contact. Nick Madrigal is the perfect example of that.

Tucker Barnhart – Age: 32. Contract: 2 Years, $6.5 Million

You cannot be a mediocre defensive catcher and also be a horrible hitter. Now, I’m sure Tucker Barnhart does put in a lot of work behind the scenes with the pitching staff, but it just has not translated to the field so far in 2023.

As for Barnhart’s performance at the plate, it’s exactly as bad as fans who didn’t like the signing thought it would be. The left-handed hitter has a slash line of .208/.304/.229, in 56 plate appearances. I wasn’t expecting much, but somehow Barnhart has been a lot worse. Out of 49 catchers with 50 or more plate appearances so far in 2023, Barnhart’s 56 wRC+ ranks 41st. If that stat is too fancy for you, Barnhart ranks 42nd with a .533 OPS.

Barnhart will most likely get a longer leash here because of his deal, but if the defense doesn’t drastically improve and the offensive production remains the same, then the front office should be having serious conversations about his status with the team come July.

Michael Fulmer – Age: 30. Contract: 1 Year, $4 Million

I liked the Michael Fulmer signing, but holy shit has he been annoying to watch this season. Even when he has been getting good results, and yes he was for a while besides the blowups against the Dodgers, Fulmer just makes you nervous when he’s pitching.

The thing is, Fulmer has been getting a bit unlucky because most of his peripheral numbers look fine and even better than in his previous couple of seasons when he was a pretty good reliever with the Tigers and Twins. However, hitters are crushing his mistakes, batting .292, with three home runs in 18 innings. In 2022, Fulmer allowed four home runs all season in 63.2 innings.