Chicago Cubs 2026 Position Analysis: Corner Outfield

[Joe Sbertoli]

Image courtesy of © Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

This winter, the Cubs will face a wave of tough decisions about the future of their corner outfield spots. Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki are each due to hit free agency, a year after the team watched Kyle Tucker depart via that very road. For now, though, those two are anchors in left and right field, respectively—as long as Suzuki, whose season debut will be delayed by a sprained PCL, can move well enough to resume that duty after a year as the designated hitter.

The Starters

• LF: Ian Happ
• RF: Seiya Suzuki

The Backups

• Matt Shaw
• Michael Conforto
• Dylan Carlson

40-Man Roster Depth, Prospects, Other

• Kevin Alcántara
• Justin Dean
• Chas McCormick
• Kane Kepley

THE GOOD
Entrenched as the everyday left fielder since 2022, Happ has won four consecutive Gold Glove Awards for his elite defense. The luxury of having a consistently excellent defender managing the unpredictable elements at Wrigley Field should not be taken for granted. It feels like another lifetime in which Happ was Joe Maddon’s super-utility player after he got called up to the bigs in 2017. He's a much more well-rounded player now, despite being less versatile defensively.

Happ has been a reliable hitter for the Cubs since he was named to the All-Star game back in 2022. He finished that year with 4.3 WAR after batting .271/.342/.440. He's been wonderfully consistent (in terms of seasonal production, though not always from month to month) since then. In 2025, he batted .243, but put up that same .342 OBP and still slugged .420. He also finished last season with 4.0 WAR. It's not unreasonable to expect similar results in 2026, barring unforeseen circumstances.

With Tucker in the fold last year, Suzuki was limited to just 48 games played in any outfield position; he appeared in 102 games as the designated hitter. He's struggled in the outfield since coming to the United States, but when he's hitting, it matters little. His value comes from his offensive production. In 651 plate appearances last year, he hit .245/.326/.478, with 32 homr runs.

THE BAD
Suzuki will begin the campaign on the injured list, which immediately exposes the team's lack of exciting depth in the corners. Currently, the Cubs' depth chart lists Matt Shaw as the primary back up for both spots. Last year, the Cubs asked Shaw to switch to playing third base, moving him off the middle infield in earnest for the first time. He did a great job with that transition. The Cubs are hoping he can have similar success with another move to the outfield. If he can handle the defensive responsibilities in right field, that could allow Suzuki to be the designated hitter more frequently.

Shaw will need to take a step forward in his development at the plate. In 2025, he changed his batting stance frequently in hopes of finding a solution to some of his offensive struggles. He finished the year with a .690 OPS that couldn't be less helpful in telling the story of his season. He started miserably, got red-hot for a prolonged period after the All-Star break, and then went cold again at the end of the year. His total offensive package looked better this spring, but those games don't count—and the questions about his nous as an outfield defender are very much open.

Conforto came to camp on a minor-league deal, and while he flashed the skills that have made him an above-average hitter over a long big-league career, there are also some red flags. He's going to swing and miss a lot; he's not a good defender anymore. He might not have made the team, had Suzuki or Chas McCormick stayed healthy all spring. The surest way for the Cubs to get what they want out of right field is not to have to play him there terribly often. Unfortunately, the same can be said for Alcántara, the towering and tantalizing could-be slugger who looks overmatched against high-end pitching too much of the time. 

Carlson, Dean and McCormick are meant as buffers against calamity—glove-over-stick guys who can back up in center as well as the corners. If any of them play a meaningful amount in right or left, it means much has gone wrong. The best outfield prospect the team had was Owen Caissie, whom they traded to Miami for starting pitcher Edward Cabrera.

THE BOTTOM LINE
The Cubs have two reliable veteran options to start in the corner outfield positions. Happ will continue to be a cornerstone of this team during the 2026 season, and if Suzuki returns quickly and in form, he'll be the middle-of-the-lineup bat a right fielder is supposed to be.

Most people within the organization would love it if Alcántara could play his way into the conversation of getting opportunities to take on the major-league right field spot, but only time will tell. He will need to get off to a fast start in 2026, and he'll have to do it in Iowa, where the team optioned him Tuesday. These spots are vital to the team's overall plan to win the division, but to begin the season, they're also shrouded in uncertainty.

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[Arlen]

So long, Ian. It's been nice.