Cubs Notes: Ramirez, Kelly, Hoyer, Staffing

The Cubs have two spots to fill in the outfield alongside newly minted NL MVP Pete Crow-Armstrong with Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki heading to free agency. The internal replacements include Pedro Ramirez, Matt Shaw, and Kevin Alcantara. Ramirez could be the leader in the clubhouse based on recent comments from GM Carter Hawkins. The lead exec praised Ramirez’ athleticism and work ethic, factors that could help him transition into a more versatile role, as relayed by Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune. The 22-year-old primarily played second and third base in the minors, but played some first base and left field after his big-league promotion. “There’s a risk to going with some unproven guys, but that allows you maybe to get some more proven guys in other spots,” Hawkins said. “I don’t think there’s one path that we necessarily would cross out at this juncture.” Ramirez forced his way to the majors by hitting .312 with nine homers and 19 steals in 43 games at Triple-A. He held his own in his first taste of the highest level, slashing .261/.321/.402 across 266 plate appearances. Ramirez added six homers and nine steals. The thefts have always been a part of his profile, but the power was a big addition in 2026. He’d totaled 25 homers in four pro seasons before popping 15 this year. Shaw got a crack as an everyday outfielder to open this past season with Suzuki dealing with an injury. He didn’t hold onto a regular job once everyone was healthy, but did manage a respectable 106 wRC+ over 202 plate appearances. Shaw has been a plus defender in minimal outfield reps. He’s also been a standout contributor with the glove at third base, though there’s no room for him there with Alex Bregman in town. Alcantara has played in parts of three MLB seasons. That’s only amounted to 37 games, though. He’s yet to get an extended look with the Cubs and has struggled in his 50 career plate appearances. Alcantara is out of options, which might incline the club to keep him around. He has experience at all three outfield spots. Here are a few other items from the Cubs… Hawkins mentioned that bringing back free agent catcher Carson Kelly is a possibility, while adding that the team is comfortable sticking with internal options (per Montemurro). That would likely be Miguel Amaya tag-teaming the role with prospect Owen Ayers. Kelly was an above-average producer at the plate in both seasons with the Cubs. Chicago ranked 10th in OPS at the position, with the majority of that damage coming from Kelly and Amaya. President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer agreed to a multi-year contract extension midway through the 2025 season. Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reported this week that it’s a five-year deal. Since Hoyer’s last deal was set to expire at the end of the 2025 campaign, it seems he’ll be in his role through the 2030 season. Hoyer joined the Cubs at the end of 2011. He was part of the brain trust that put together the 2016 World Series winner. Hoyer stepped into the lead role after Theo Epstein departed in 2020. Mooney and Sharma also reported that Chicago hired Rylan Domingues to be a pitching analytics coordinator. Domingues has spent the past three seasons as a pitching development analyst with the Phillies. Before joining the pro ranks, he worked at training facility Tread Athletics. In a separate post, Mooney reported that Ben Martin is taking over as the organization’s farm director. The duties were vacated after Jason Kanzler left to be the Mariners’ manager. Martin served as the assistant director of major league development last season. He’s held various roles in player development since being hired in 2021. Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images View Comments (9)