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MLB
Chicago Cubs 2026 Financial Summary
A current summary of Chicago Cubs 2026 player cap & cash figures.
RELATED:
Chicago Cubs Offseason Preview
Projected Total Tax
$240,872,380 / 8th
Projected Cash Payroll
$204,500,000 / 11th
2026 Active Roster
| Player (41) | Pos | Age | Type | Luxury Tax | Luxury Tax % League CBT | Cash Salary 2026 | Free Agent Year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Bregman Alex Bregman | 3B | 32 |
Free Agent
|
$32,500,000 | 13.32% | $20,000,000 | 2031 |
2 |
Swanson Dansby Swanson | SS | 32 |
Free Agent
|
$25,285,714 | 10.36% | $27,000,000 | 2030 |
3 |
Imanaga Shota Imanaga | SP | 32 | $22,025,000 | 9.03% | - | 2027 | |
4 |
Happ Ian Happ | LF | 31 |
Extension
|
$20,333,333 | 8.33% | $18,000,000 | 2027 |
5 |
Suzuki Seiya Suzuki | OF | 31 |
Free Agent
Foreign Professional |
$17,000,000 | 6.97% | $18,000,000 | 2027 |
6 |
Taillon Jameson Taillon | SP | 34 |
Free Agent
|
$17,000,000 | 6.97% | $18,000,000 | 2027 |
7 |
Boyd Matthew Boyd | SP | 35 |
Free Agent
|
$14,500,000 | 5.94% | $14,500,000 | 2028 |
8 |
Hoerner Nico Hoerner | 2B | 29 |
Extension
Arbitration |
$11,666,667 | 4.78% | $12,000,000 | 2027 |
9 |
Maton Phil Maton | RP | 33 |
Free Agent
|
$7,250,000 | 2.97% | $5,500,000 | 2029 |
10 |
Steele Justin Steele | SP | 30 |
Arbitration 3
Super Two |
$6,775,000 | 2.78% | $6,775,000 | 2028 |
11 |
Rea Colin Rea | SP | 36 |
Extension
|
$6,500,000 | 2.66% | $5,500,000 | 2028 |
12 |
Harvey Hunter Harvey | RP | 31 |
Free Agent
|
$6,000,000 | 2.46% | $6,000,000 | 2027 |
13 |
Kelly Carson Kelly | C | 31 |
Free Agent
|
$5,750,000 | 2.36% | $5,000,000 | 2028 |
14 |
Thielbar Caleb Thielbar | RP | 39 |
Free Agent
|
$4,500,000 | 1.84% | $4,000,000 | 2028 |
15 |
Cabrera Edward Cabrera | SP | 28 |
Arbitration 2
Super Two |
$4,450,000 | 1.82% | $4,450,000 | 2029 |
16 |
Milner Hoby Milner | RP | 35 |
Free Agent
|
$3,750,000 | 1.54% | $3,750,000 | 2027 |
17 |
Assad Javier Assad | RP | 28 |
Arbitration 1
|
$1,800,000 | 0.74% | $1,800,000 | 2029 |
18 |
Webb Jacob Webb | RP | 32 |
Free Agent
|
$1,500,000 | 0.61% | $1,500,000 | 2028 |
19 |
Austin Tyler Austin | 1B | 34 |
Free Agent
|
$1,250,000 | 0.51% | $1,250,000 | 2027 |
20 |
Miller Shelby Miller | RP | 35 |
Free Agent
|
$1,250,000 | 0.51% | - | 2028 |
21 |
Rolison Ryan Rolison | RP | 28 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
22 |
Roberts Ethan Roberts | RP | 28 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
23 |
Dean Justin Dean | OF | 29 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
24 |
Alcantara Kevin Alcantara | OF | 23 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
25 |
Amaya Miguel Amaya | C | 27 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
26 |
Busch Michael Busch | 1B | 28 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | 2030 |
27 |
Hollowell Gavin Hollowell | RP | 28 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
28 |
Hodge Porter Hodge | RP | 25 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
29 |
Crow-Armstrong Pete Crow-Armstrong | CF | 24 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | 2031 |
30 |
Little Luke Little | RP | 25 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
31 |
Wicks Jordan Wicks | RP | 26 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
32 |
Triantos James Triantos | 3B | 23 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
33 |
Martin Riley Martin | P | 28 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
34 |
Cowles Benjamin Cowles | SS | 26 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
35 |
Neely Jack Neely | RP | 26 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
36 |
Horton Cade Horton | SP | 24 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
37 |
Brown Ben Brown | SP | 26 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
38 |
Shaw Matt Shaw | 3B | 24 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
39 |
Palencia Daniel Palencia | RP | 26 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
40 |
Ballesteros Moisés Ballesteros | C | 22 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
41 |
Ramirez Pedro Ramirez | SS | 22 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 |
2026 Retained
Cap breakdowns for players who have cap retained. All count against the team's payroll.
| Player (1) | Pos | Age | Type | Luxury Tax | Luxury Tax % League CBT | Cash Salary 2026 | Free Agent Year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Bellinger Cody Bellinger | CF | 30 |
Retained
|
$2,500,000 | - | $2,500,000 |
2026 Deferred
Salaries for players who had salaries deferred to the current year. We are NOT counting these against the active payroll.
| Player (1) | Pos | Age | Type | Luxury Tax | Luxury Tax % League CBT | Cash Salary 2026 | Free Agent Year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Heyward Jason Heyward | RF | 36 | - | - | $5,000,000 |
2026 Luxury Tax Payroll Totals
Tax figures based on payroll data only. Outside revenue sources will be adjusted when available after the regular season.
| Competitive Balance Tax Threshold | $244,000,000 | |
| Guaranteed Contracts | $211,085,714 | 8th |
| Projected Pre-Arbitration Contracts | $4,920,000 | - |
| Injured Contracts | $0 | - |
| Retained Contracts | $2,500,000 | - |
| Player Benefits | $18,000,000 | - |
| Minor League Contracts | $2,700,000 | - |
| Pre-Arbitration Bonus Pool Contribution | $1,666,666 | - |
| Projected Tax Payroll | $240,872,380 | - |
| Projected Competitive Balance Tax Space | $3,127,620 | - |
|
Projected Tax Bill
This team is currently a tax repeater at 20%.
|
$0 | - |
Glossary
First-Time Payor:
- 20% for exceeding by $20M or less
- 32% for exceeding by $20M-$40M
- 62.5% for exceeding by $40M-$60M
- 80% for exceeding by $60M+
Second-Time Payor:
- 30% for exceeding by $20M or less
- 42% for exceeding by $20M-$40M
- 75% for exceeding by $40M-$60M
- 90% for exceeding by $60M+
Third-Time (or more) Payor:
- 50% for exceeding by $20M or less
- 62% for exceeding by $20M-$40M
- 95% for exceeding by $40M-$60M
- 110% for exceeding by $60M+
Teams are considered “tax repeaters” when they exceed the threshold in consecutive seasons. They revert back to First-Time status after completing one season below the threshold.
Luxury Tax salaries are based on the Average Annual Value of all 40-man roster contracts, guaranteed contracts on the 60-day IL, retained salary from trades or releases, buried contracts in the minor leagues, a player benefits stipend, and the required pre-arbitration bonus pool contribution.
Players who are acquired or have contracts purchased during the season are calculated at a rate based on the amount of league days remaining in the season. If multiple years remain on the contract at the time of acquisition, the AAV is recalculated based on the total guaranteed money remaining.
Pre-Arbitration Players (0-3 years of service) are currently estimated at $820,000 ($40k above the $780,000 MLB minimum) Arbitration Salaries (3-6 years of service) are currently estimated based on the level of service (Arbitration 1-4), and Spotrac’s current Market Valuation for that player.
Player Benefits account for insurance, room & board stipends, transportation fees, etc…
The MLB Pre-Arbitration Bonus Pool is a $50 million pot of money created in the 2022 CBA to reward top-performing young players (under three years of service time) who are not yet eligible for salary arbitration. It's funded by all 30 teams, split into award bonuses and a statistical pool based on a version of Wins Above Replacement (WAR).
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