Cubs avoid arbitration and reach agreements with six remaining eligible players……

CHICAGO — The Cubs have a long history of avoiding arbitration negotiations with players.
That situation continued Thursday, as the North Siders agreed to one-year contracts with six of the remaining big-name players in this offseason’s referee-eligible class.
All eligible players not under contract had until Thursday to exchange their proposed salary amount with their team.
This step usually takes the player to a hearing where a panel decides between his two options.
Only three Cubs players have appeared at hearings in the past 30 years.
Here’s a breakdown of this year’s offers for the Northsiders:

CHICAGO — The Cubs have a long history of avoiding arbitration negotiations with players.
That situation continued Thursday, as the North Siders agreed to one-year contracts with six of the remaining big-name players in this offseason’s referee-eligible class.
All eligible players not under contract had until Thursday to exchange their proposed salary amount with their team.
This step usually takes the player to a hearing where a panel decides between his two options.
Only three Cubs players have appeared at hearings in the past 30 years.
Here’s a breakdown of this year’s offers for the Northsiders:

After an injury-plagued career, Alzolay, 28, took over the Cubs’ closer role in July last season.
The right-hander appeared in 58 games and finished his career with a 2.
65 ERA with 22 saves in 38 appearances.
Alzolay had 67 strikeouts and 13 walks in 64 innings.

Tauchman, 33, arrived from Triple-A Iowa State in May to shore up the outfield and quickly found a steady role with the Cubs.
Tauchman hit .
252/.
363/.
377 with eight home runs, 18 doubles, and 48 RBIs in 108 games.
He played in all three outfield slots, but was primarily a center fielder the day Cody Bellinger moved to first base.

Entering 2023, it was unclear whether Madrigal would make the roster, but he worked hard as a third baseman, posting some of the best defensive numbers in baseball at the position (10 outs above average).
Although injuries and part-time appearances limited him to 92 games, Madrigal still boasted an elite contact percentage (92.
2%) while hitting .
263.

Reiter emerged as a reliable setup man in 2023, posting a 3.
50 ERA in 69 career games with the Cubs.
The right-hander had 77 strikeouts and 24 walks in 64 1/3 innings.
Armed with an excellent splitter, Reiter limited left-handed hitters to a .
185 average and .
568 OPS last season.

Merryweather, along with Alzolay and Reiter, formed the Cubs’ primary second-half pitching duo for most of the season.
A strong hitter, Merryweather had his most productive season to date, with 98 strikeouts and a 3.
38 ERA in 72 innings.
Although he struggled in the first five games of the season, his ERA was 2.
58.