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The Chicago Cubs did not face many tough decisions when determining whether to tender contracts to their arbitration-eligible players.

Only the White Sox had fewer players who met those qualifications than the Cubs’ four: left-hander Justin Steele, right-hander Javier Assad, reliever Eli Morgan and catcher Reese McGuire. To keep them under contract for 2026, the Cubs needed to tender each of them a contract by Friday’s 4 p.m. deadline. The Cubs opted to nontender McGuire and Morgan.

The return of Steele and Assad was an obvious decision by the organization. MLB Trade Rumors projects Steele will get $6.55 million in arbitration while Assad is projected to receive $1.9 million for 2026.

Steele, coming off left elbow surgery, is expected to ret

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