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MLB
Chicago Cubs 2026 Financial Summary
A current summary of Chicago Cubs 2026 player cap & cash figures.
RELATED:
2026 Opening Day SP Financials
Summary
- Adjusted Payroll Total $215,324,000 / 8th
- Cash Total $211,934,000 / 10th
2026 Active Roster
| RK | Player |
|
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Alex Bregman
(3B, 32)
|
$32,500,000 |
| 2 |
Dansby Swanson
(SS, 32)
|
$25,285,714 |
| 3 |
Shota Imanaga
(SP, 32)
|
$22,025,000 |
| 4 |
Ian Happ
(LF, 31)
|
$20,333,333 |
| 5 |
Jameson Taillon
(SP, 34)
|
$17,000,000 |
| 6 |
Matthew Boyd
(SP, 35)
|
$14,500,000 |
| 7 |
Nico Hoerner
(2B, 29)
|
$11,666,667 |
| 8 |
Phil Maton
(RP, 33)
|
$7,250,000 |
| 9 |
Colin Rea
(SP, 36)
|
$6,500,000 |
| 10 |
Hunter Harvey
(RP, 31)
|
$6,000,000 |
| 11 |
Carson Kelly
(C, 31)
|
$5,750,000 |
| 12 |
Caleb Thielbar
(RP, 39)
|
$4,500,000 |
| 13 |
Edward Cabrera
(SP, 28)
|
$4,450,000 |
| 14 |
Hoby Milner
(RP, 35)
|
$3,750,000 |
| 15 |
Michael Conforto
(LF, 33)
|
$2,000,000 |
| 16 |
Dylan Carlson
(LF, 27)
|
$2,000,000 |
| 17 |
Jacob Webb
(RP, 32)
|
$1,500,000 |
| 18 |
Scott Kingery
(2B, 32)
|
$1,000,000 |
| 19 |
Pete Crow-Armstrong
(CF, 24)
|
$894,000 |
| 20 |
Miguel Amaya
(C, 27)
|
$820,000 |
| 21 |
Michael Busch
(1B, 28)
|
$820,000 |
| 22 |
Cade Horton
(SP, 24)
|
$820,000 |
| 23 |
Ben Brown
(RP, 26)
|
$820,000 |
| 24 |
Matt Shaw
(3B, 24)
|
$820,000 |
| 25 |
Daniel Palencia
(RP, 26)
|
$820,000 |
| 26 |
Moisés Ballesteros
(C, 22)
|
$820,000 |
| 27 |
Nico Hoerner
(2B, 29)
|
$0 |
2026 Injured List
Salaries from players who have been placed on the injured list, still counting against the payroll.
| RK | Player |
|
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Seiya Suzuki
(OF, 31)
|
$17,000,000 |
| 2 |
Justin Steele
(SP, 30)
|
$6,775,000 |
| 3 |
Tyler Austin
(1B, 34)
|
$1,250,000 |
| 4 |
Shelby Miller
(RP, 35)
|
$1,250,000 |
| 5 |
Porter Hodge
(RP, 25)
|
$820,000 |
| 6 |
Jordan Wicks
(RP, 26)
|
$820,000 |
2026 Retained
Cap breakdowns for players who have cap retained. All count against the team's payroll.
| RK | Player |
|
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Cody Bellinger
(CF, 30)
|
$2,500,000 |
| 2 |
Andrew Kittredge
(RP, 36)
|
$-317,204 |
2026 Deferred
Salaries for players who had salaries deferred to the current year. We are NOT counting these against the active payroll.
| RK | Player |
|
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Jason Heyward
(RF, 36)
|
$0 |
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 | $194,644,714 | 9th |
| Injured Contracts | $27,915,000 | - |
| Retained Contracts | $2,182,796 | - |
| Player Benefits | $18,000,000 | - |
| Minor League Contracts | $2,700,000 | - |
| Pre-Arbitration Bonus Pool Contribution | $1,666,666 | - |
| Projected Tax Payroll | $246,209,176 | - |
|
Projected Tax Bill
This team is currently a tax repeater at 20%.
|
$441,835 | - |
Tax Bill Breakdown
The Chicago Cubs are being assessed at 20%. This means this is the first year the team is above the tax threshold.
| Salaries | Level Tax Tier | Amount Over | Amount Level Assessed | Tax % Base | Tax % Overage Charge | Total Level Amount | Total Cumulative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $246,209,176 | $244,000,000 | $2,209,176 | $2,209,176 | 0.20 | 0.000 | $441,835 | $441,835 |
| $264,000,000 | - | - | 0.20 | 0.120 | |||
| $284,000,000 | - | - | 0.20 | 0.425 | |||
| $304,000,000 | - | - | 0.20 | 0.600 | |||
| $246,209,176 | Tax Bill: | $441,835 |
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).
2026 Minor
Salaries from players currently in the system. denotes a buried salary that counts against the payroll.
| RK | Player |
|
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Javier Assad
(SP, 28)
|
$1,800,000 |
| 2 |
Ethan Roberts
(RP, 28)
|
$0 |
| 3 |
Justin Dean
(OF, 29)
|
$0 |
| 4 |
Kevin Alcantara
(OF, 23)
|
$0 |
| 5 |
Gavin Hollowell
(RP, 28)
|
$0 |
| 6 |
Luke Little
(RP, 25)
|
$0 |
| 7 |
James Triantos
(3B, 23)
|
$0 |
| 8 |
Riley Martin
(P, 28)
|
$0 |
| 9 |
Benjamin Cowles
(SS, 26)
|
$0 |
| 10 |
Pedro Ramirez
(SS, 22)
|
$0 |
| 11 |
Ryan Rolison
(RP, 28)
|
$0 |
