Just about nobody is giving the Chicago Cubs a chance to re-sign star slugger Kyle Tucker in free agency this offseason.

And there’s a good reason for this. Tucker is expected to get somewhere between $300 to $400 million. That would essentially be twice as much money as Chicago has ever given a player in the franchise’s history. As good as Tucker is, the front office is clearly not comfortable offering him that amount of money, which is why it seems highly unlikely that he’ll be back in a Cubs uniform by Opening Day 2026.

Many want the Cubs to pursue either Cody Bellinger or Kyle Schwarber as a potential replacement for Tucker’s production in the lineup. Yet, Jed Hoyer and the Cubs’ brass have conveyed that their focus is on improving the pitching staff and then potentially pivoting to the starting lineup once that is done.

And since this team is notoriously fiscal, it’s hard to imagine Chicago dropping serious cash on multiple top players, especially if they already did so on an ace-caliber starter.

Not to mention that the Cubs already have a loaded outfield, and several of their top prospects (including Owen Caissie and Kevin Alcantara) could be ready to join the outfield mix in 2026.

MORE: Cubs Get Discouraging News On Top Pitching Trade Targets

Two Free Agent Outfielders That Seem To Make Sense

All of this is to say that it really doesn’t seem likely that Chicago will make a splash in the outfield this winter. If they’re going to acquire a player, it will probably be a veteran who can step in as a fourth option in case of injury and until Caissie and Alcantara are ready for the big leagues.

In this case, former Dodgers outfielder Michael Conforto and Mets outfielder Jesse Winker seem to be Chicago’s best fits. Both guys are coming off disappointing 2025 campaigns (Conforto hit .199 with a .648 OPS and lost his job in the postseason, while Winker only played in 26 games because of injuries).

However, both of these guys are better than what they were able to contribute last season. And since both will come relatively cheap (Spotrac projects Conforto will sign a one-year, $7.4 million deal and Winker will get a five-year, $29 million deal), these would be low-risk, cost-effective insurance options to help ensure the Cubs’ outfield remains a strength heading into 2026.

While these two names aren’t as appealing as some of the top free agents, they’re more in line with how Chicago typically spends in free agency, and could end up having high upside.

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