The Chicago Cubs have to trim down their 40-man roster and following the World Series they made their first official move of the offseason, which will be one of several decisions made by the front office even before free agency really kicks in.
In case you missed it, on the final day of the regular season the Cubs added 28-year-old catcher Caleb Knight to their 40-man roster as right-handed reliever Julian Merryweather was moved to the 60-day injured list. It didn’t matter much at all other than Knight the Cubs giving the long-time minor league catcher the honor of being a major leaguer. Knight has been a part of the Cubs organization since 2018, coming up through the farm system as a depth option at the catcher position.
Knight, who reached Triple-A with the Iowa Cubs in 2024, was outrighted off the 40-man roster and he’ll now have the choice to either elect free agency and explore his playing options elsewhere or remain in the organization. It’s also possible that Knight calls it a career and potentially begins a coaching career.
This is the first of many 40-man roster transactions that the Cubs will have to make by Nov. 4, when all 30 MLB teams are required to return players on the 60-day injured list to the 40-man roster. At the end of the regular season the Cubs had a full 40-man roster, while also carrying eight players on the 60-day IL.
Here are the players the Cubs have to make room for on the 40-man if they want to keep them around after Nov. 4.
Current Cubs on 60-Day IL
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay
Colten Brewer
Ben Brown
Luke Little
Julian Merryweather
Nick Madrigal
Brennen Davis
Knight, as well as Kyle Hendricks and Jorge Lopez, along with Drew Smyly, will all be off the 40-man roster within the next few days. Hendricks and Lopez are already free agents while Smyly’s option will be declined by the Cubs soon.
And of course there’s Cody Bellinger’s option decision. You can read the latest about Bellinger here.
