3 Players Who Won't Be on the Cubs Roster Next Season

The Chicago Cubs made it to the playoffs for the fifth consecutive year this past season before they fell 2-0 to the Miami Marlins in the Wild Card round. If the Cubs want to make it six in a row, they will have to build a competitive roster and make some tough decisions in the offseason.

Surrounded by trade rumors and big-time players hitting the free agent market, the Cubs will be a team to watch this offseason. With that in mind, here are three players who won't be on the Cubs roster next season.

1. Jose Quintana, P

Jose Quintana has been with Cubs ever since the team traded for him back in 2017, and he has been a solid starting pitcher, but never seemed to reach his full potential. The veteran left-hander now enters the free agent market and it's likely the Cubs will not re-sign him moving forward. Injury issues marred Quintana's 2020 season and his time playing in a Cubs jersey is probably over. He has not been able to post an ERA under 4.03 since 2017, but there is always a market across the league for a veteran starting pitcher. It would be better for the Cubs to seek other younger options to fill out their rotation.

2. Kris Bryant, 3B

The biggest name that could be on the move this offseason from the Cubs' roster is third baseman Kris Bryant. The former NL MVP has one year left before he enters free agency and now might be the time to see if any team is interested in trading for him. Bryant has battled injuries throughout his entire career and they always seem to come at the worst times for the club. For a team looking to get younger and fill out their roster, Bryant would bring back a massive haul of prospects or major-league level talent. It would be a smart move for the Cubs to address other holes on the roster by making this one big move.

3. Jeremy Jeffress, P

Jeremey Jeffress was a shutdown reliever for the Cubs this past season, posting a 1.54 ERA in 23.1 innings pitched and leading the team with 8 saves. He was just announced as the runner-up for the NL reliever of the year award and enters free agency as one of the top names on the market. It would take a lot of money for the Cubs to re-sign the veteran pitcher as he looks to become the clear-cut closer for a top tier team in the MLB. With arms such as Craig Kimbrel and Rowan Wick still on the roster, the Cubs will most likely look internally to fill the closer role and move on from Jeffress this offseason.

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Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.