We are halfway through spring training, meaning roster cuts will become more and more numerous as we approach Opening Day on the 28th. No team, try as they might, is perfect all the time in pleasing their fanbase with these subtractions. As a proud fan of the Chicago Cubs, I even wondered whether the choices made were correct for the start of the regular season.

Sports fans are some of the most opinionated people on the planet, and baseball is no different. Today, I will give my opinions on the Cubs’ roster moves during the first round of spring cuts.

Ben Brown – The lone pitcher on this list today, Brown was a trade acquisition from the Phillies in 2022 for David Robertson. Brown started 7 games down the stretch of the 2022 minor league season for Double A Tennessee, going 3-0 with the 4.06 ERA, 14 earned runs, a 44/13 strikeout/walk ratio, a .273 batting average against (BAA) and 1.48 walks & hits per innings pitched (WHIP).

Only 4 starts were required in 2023 for Brown to earn the promotion to Triple A Iowa. Pitching to a 2-0 record, 0.45 ERA, 1 earned run, a .186 BAA and 0.95 WHIP across 20 innings in 4 starts. Things over at Triple A weren’t as smooth for Brown, to say the least.

He played in 22 total games, starting 15 games, posting a 6-8 record, 5.33 ERA and 43 earned runs, while the BAA jumped to .226 and WHIP to 1.53; the 9 home runs allowed in these 22 games were also his most during any minor league stint at all levels, between both the Phillies and Cubs, since debuting in 2017.

Triple A in 2023 was a roller coaster full of ups and downs for Brown. The strikeouts were high, while the amount and baserunners and runs allowed were simultaneously concerning.

He is an intriguing option for the Cubs’ 5th starting pitcher. He possesses the K potential of a guy who could jump to the majors and be successful. However, extra development to work out the kinks is smart, despite him being 24 years old. Although optioned to the Iowa team, Brown could become more valuable if Jameson Taillon’s recent injury forces him to miss any action to start the year.

Pete Crow-Armstrong – “PCA” is the Cubs’ #1 prospect and #16 overall among all 30 minor league systems, according to MLB.com. The Cubs and fans alike are very eager for the Mets first-round pick in 2020 (19th overall) to garner consistent playing time on the North Side. He was traded for Javier Baez and Trevor Williams at the 2021 trade deadline.

His defense is stellar on tape, throughout all levels at which he’s played. He’s also shown slightly more power than many believed he would possess at the plate.

He posted a stat line of a .289 batting average/.371 on-base %/.527 slugging % with 14 home runs, 67 runs batted in, 27 stolen bases and 38 runs scored in 73 games at Double A Tennessee. Then a .271/.350/.479 line along with 6 home runs, 22 RBIs, 10 stolen bases and 38 runs scored in 34 games at Triple A Iowa, he was promoted on September 11.

However, after 13 games playing with Chicago, appearing in 19 at bats, he was at a disgusting .000/.177/.000 stat line and 0 home runs, 1 RBI, 2 SBs and 3 runs scored. Yes, folks, he was hitless, albeit after a small 19 AB sample. Given the small sample size, both in the majors and in spring training this season, some would say he simply needs more at bats.

The thing is, however, is that Cody Bellinger often playing in center allows the Cubs to ease PCA in more, and ultimately the thing I believe sent him to Des Moines to start the season. As great as the glove is, I agree that the continued development at the plate at Iowa is the wise option for a guy as young as him.

Matt Shaw – Shaw was also a first round pick the Cubs drafted themselves, in 2023, 13th overall out of Maryland. The 3rd baseman played a miniscule 38 games in 2023 at the minor league level – 3 at the rookie ball level, 20 at High A South Bend and 15 at Double A Tennessee.

Compiling a combined line of .357/.400/.618, adding 8 home runs, 28 RBIs, 15 steals and 27 runs scored. While the previous mentioned Pete Crow-Armstrong is considered more of a 5 tool player, Shaw is known for the bat. The right-handed slugger was raking in his first spring training for the Cubs, making the demotion surprising for many.

However, 3rd base may be full of the most uncertainty to start the upcoming season. David Bote hasn’t played with the big league team for multiple seasons. Michael Busch could play there, although it appears the Cubs will give him more time at 1st base;

Christopher Morel can rake, but so far in spring is providing magnified shortcomings on the defensive side; all three of these roads could lead to Shaw making some hot corner starts sooner or later. If Morel’s (my prediction to win the Opening Day bid at 3B due to his offensive prowess) defense becomes detrimental to the team’s overall defensive success, Shaw could be packing his bags to Chicago.

Ultimately, the lack of experience (none at Triple A) is what prevented Shaw from being the big league starter, so the Cubs, at least for me, made the right choice not bringing him to the bigs….. for now, anyways.

Brennen Davis – A 2nd round pick by the Cubs back in the 2018 draft, Brennen Davis has often been thought of as the biggest “what if” in the Cubs system by many fans since that time.

Injury after injury is seemingly derailing the ceiling of his career at this point. It shows in his stats, highlighted by his stats of 37 homers, 133 RBIs, 27 steals and line of .241/.347/.409 across 1,199 career minor league plate appearances in 292 games. Much lower than expected for a player of his draft pedigree.

It’s pretty simple – Davis would’ve likely been in Chicago by now if not for the slew of injuries. Unfortunately, the quadruplet of Alexander Canario (acquired in the 2021 Kris Bryant to the Giants trade), Kevin Alcantara (acquired in the Anthony Rizzo to the Yankees deal the same season during the Cubs selloff), Owen Caissie (acquired in the Yu Darvish and Victor Caritini) trade with the Padres in 2020) and the aforementioned Pete Crow-Armstrong are all ahead of Davis at the moment.

If the injuries continue, it could jeopardize Davis’ chances of becoming a starter in the majors at a full time clip. Add in the spring of Mike Tauchman, who had multiple solid stretches in the 2023 season and will undoubtedly stay as a bench bat, at least, and there was no choice other than Brennen starting 2024 at Triple A.

Owen Caissie – The previously mentioned Caissie, the fifth and final player, was essentially the only notable player of the Northsiders’ return for Darvish.

The other 4 players in the deal were Zach Davies, who had 1 unspectacular season with the team. He then went to play with the Diamondbacks. Also, 3 prospects – Reginald Preciado, Yeison Santana and Ismael Mena, none of whom have made an impact in the minor leagues to this point.

In 279 games across the previous 3 minor league seasons, Caissie hit 40 home runs, 171 RBIs, 19 SBs and a .278 BA, .387 OBP and .470 slugging % across 1,187 plate appearances. He was raking in spring training, hitting .440 (11 for 25) and smacking 1 homer, 7 RBIs and a whopping 1.197 on base & slugging (OPS) in 12 games of Cactus League play.

Although he’s never played at Triple A Iowa, Ian Happ’s bum hamstring led me to believe a guy like Caissie could’ve cracked the starting roster to open the season. Given the fact his primary position is left field. Owen was increasingly growing confidence with each and every game and of the five players, he’s the one I disagree the most about. I differ with the decision of the Cubs, believing Caissie should’ve gotten a big league spot to open the season.

By @gilbertlikessportz

Photos courtesy of Getty Images

Credit for stats – auducy.com/670thescore, baseball-reference.com, milb.com