Chicago Cubs Non-Tender Former No. 4 Overall Pick, Will Hit Free Agency

The Chicago Cubs non-tendered the struggling infielder on Friday night.

Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Brice Turang (2) is tagged out by Chicago Cubs third baseman Nick Madrigal while trying to steal third base during the third inning of their game Monday, May 27, 2024 at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. / Mark Hoffman;Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Chicago Cubs had some decisions to make on Friday, including the future of infielder Nick Madrigal.

According to Jesse Rogers of ESPN, his future won't be with the Cubs.

Madrigal has been non-tendered and will now hit free agency.

After being drafted with the No. 4 overall pick in 2018, his career hasn't gone as planned. While he looked to be the right pick then, time only confirmed that players of Madrigal's style aren't exactly success stories very often.

He lacked power coming out of college, and in Major League Baseball, he's been a below-average hitter, perhaps something Chicago should've foreseen at the time.

The game has changed a bit since then, and some players have found success without power in their bats, but they're much tougher to evaluate than guys with juice.

It didn't help the Cubs or Madrigal that he dealt with injuries.

He's played in just 285 games since he debuted in 2020, which is a concern for him as he hits the open market.

Being a recent high draft pick should help him find a new home, but it's tough to imagine too many teams will be knocking on his door.

In his five seasons with Chicago, he slashed .274/.323/.344 with a below-league average 86 OPS+. He only had four home runs, five triples, and 39 doubles in 868 at-bats.

The Cubs understood it was time to move on, which is a good sign.

It would've been easy for them to give him more chances, but it's clear things weren't working out in Chicago.

It's an unfortunate ending for a player they had high hopes for.