The Cubs created a little more roster flexibility on Friday by non-tendering a pair of players, one of whom had hung around a little too long. Choosing to let Mike Tauchman go for nothing isn’t quite on par with their Kyle Schwarber decision four years ago, but it was still somewhat surprising. It may also be telling, particularly when paired with the front office’s reported willingness to trade Cody Bellinger.
My sense all along had been that Bellinger would opt out, in large part to avoid the lack of control over his destination that he may now face.