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Chicago Cubs DFA 24-year-old power-hitting outfielder

Originally posted on ChiCitySports | By Andy Jachim | Last updated Feb 20, 2025 11:36 AM ET

With the Chicago Cubs heading to Japan for Opening Day in less than three weeks, the roster decisions are coming at a much quicker pace in 2025. The front office made sure that grabbing as much depth as possible entering this season was a priority this winter. Last years’ bullpen especially struggled with having to bring in various pieces throughout the year just to finish out the 162 games as strong as possible.

The 2025 Cubs have their eyes set on winning the NL Central division crown for the first time in five years. In order to make that a reality, manager Craig Counsell had to know this was going to be a hard team for anyone to make. The skipper announced which backup battles would be of importance to keep an eye on over the next couple of weeks, and they just got easier to determine with a roster move made on Thursday morning.

Chicago Cubs DFA Alexander Canario

In order to make room for the recently signed Justin Turner, Canario is the odd man out of the 40-man roster, per reports . The 24-year-old was acquired by the organization at the 2021 deadline in the Kris Bryant deal with the San Francisco Giants.

The name of Canario’s game is power, as he clubbed out 37 home runs in his first full season in the Cubs farm system back in 2022. He hit 18 home runs in the 64 games that he was in Triple-A for last year. Canario has spent some time in the big leagues over the last two years, playing six games in 2023 and 15 in 2024. The former Giants prospect was out of minor league options, which did not work in his favor here.

Canario wasn’t able to consistently earn playing time at the big league level over the past two seasons. With his health not always being the best, it made this move that much easier for Jed Hoyer. The slugger should be an interesting trade piece for a franchise looking to take a flier on a player for their Opening Day roster in 2025.

This article first appeared on ChiCitySports and was syndicated with permission.

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