Kyle Schwarber and Albert Almora Jr. became free agents when the Chicago Cubs declined to offer contracts to two key players from their historic 2016 World Series championship.
While Schwarber, Almora, slugger José Martínez and pitcher Ryan Tepera were non-tendered, the Cubs offered 2021 contracts to infielders Kris Bryant and Javier Báez, catchers Willson Contreras and Victor Caratini, and outfielder Ian Happ. They agreed to one-year deals with relievers Kyle Ryan, Colin Rea and Dan Winkler, avoiding arbitration with all three.
Chicago also announced it had claimed reliever Robert Stock off waivers from the Boston Red Sox.
