Chicago Cubs Opening Day roster projection features a pair of shockers

The Chicago Cubs currently have few question marks en route to Opening Day. Unless something shocking happens from now until the end of spring training, all eight starting position spots are settled, the starting rotation is set, and the bullpen, for the most part, is pretty locked in.

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However, there’s still some debate brewing over the final couple of additions on the 26-man roster ahead of March 26.

With new backup first baseman Tyler Austin out for months with a leg injury, there are now questions about who will round out the Cubs’ bench.

A surprising 2026 Opening Day roster prediction

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The Locked on Cubs podcast recently made their own Opening Day roster projection and slotted in a pair of outfielders for the final two spots on the team– Michael Conforto and Dylan Carlson.

Both free agents were picked up this offseason and signed to minor league deals and both are coming off horrible MLB stretches.

The 33-year-old Conforto’s fall from grace was more prodigious than Carlson’s. The veteran outfielder went from being a $17 million free agent Los Angeles Dodgers signee with a decent body of work behind him to a pretty undesirable castoff on the weight of a 2025 where he hit .199 in 486 plate appearances for a Dodgers fan base that was absolutely seething with anger over his lack of production.

Underlying metrics, though, make the case that the 10-year major leaguer could possibly be due for a rebound year. Even in a career-worst 2025, he hit the ball hard and had a top-tier walk rate. At the very least, signing him to a minor league deal as a potential fourth outfielder was a low-risk gamble.

Carlson is even more of a shot in the dark for Chicago, but there’s also a case to be made that the 27-year-old switch-hitting outfielder was a low-risk move with a decent upside.

Per Matt Polites of Locked on Cubs:

“He’s had a couple of down seasons, but if you look back to 202…he had a WAR over 3. So, he could see some kind of return to form there. A good switch-hitting bat in the outfield. He could play all three spots”

An outfield-heavy roster?

The real surprise from the Locked on Cubs roster projection is that they see Chicago carrying five outfielders with Conforto and Carlson slotted in and Ian Happ, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Seiya Suzuki as starters.

There’s been talk of Conforto playing some first base this season and, if true, that would make sense when it comes to him making the Opening Day roster. The Cubs do need a backup to Michael Busch beyond DH/C Moises Ballesteros and C Miguel Amaya. But Conforto has never played the position, not in the majors nor the minors.

For now, predictions are just predictions. There’s a lot more spring to play out and some decisions that still need to be made.

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