The Chicago Cubs are getting closer and closer to figuring exactly what players will make up their 2026 Opening Day roster. Indeed, it has been an exciting spring thus far and numerous young players are primed to make the Major League roster. The hope, of course, is that they will improve on their 92-70 record from 2025 and compete for a World Series.
With all the young talent in Chicago, the future is certainly bright and it appears that it will remain so for some time. That being said, it also means that older players, some of them former All-Stars, may not make the roster.
Among them is outfielder Michael Conforto.
Michael Conforto is in danger of being a Chicago Cubs roster cut
Earlier this winter, the Cubs signed Michael Conforto to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training. The hope for both parties was that the former All-Star slugger could rediscover his form in the Windy City.
Thus far, though, it sounds like he may be on the outside looking in, per The Athletic:
“The bench battle appears to be primarily three players fighting for two spots: Michael Conforto, Dylan Carlson and Chas McCormick.
“Numbers-wise, on offense, Carlson has put together the best spring so far. But that’s a dangerous game of both spring training numbers, which are largely meaningless, and small sample sizes. How they look means more than the pure results right now. Is the bat speed still there? Are they healthy? How is their defense?
“The latter may end up being a differentiator between McCormick and Carlson: Who can play better outfield defense, in particular, in center field? Talent evaluators are split on this, though most seem to lean toward McCormick. The recent advanced data doesn’t love either, although Outs Above Average gives the clear edge to McCormick.”
Conforto is hitting .273/.385/.364 with an RBI in four Spring Training games thus far. However, that may not be enough to earn him a spot on the Opening Day roster.
Last year, he had the worst season of his career while playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He hit just .199/.305/.333 with 12 home runs and 36 RBI in 138 games.
Known for his power bat, Conforto has not shown the pop he used to have when he hit 33 home runs for the New York Mets in 2019. If he cannot display that soon, he may not be playing in Chicago this year.
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