The Rundown: New Ryne Sandberg Born, Circling Back to Refsnyder as Perfect Bench Bat, Non-Tender Deadline Approaching

The weather’s been pretty gray and gloomy across much of the Midwest this week, or so it’s been for my little slice of the world, but it’s Friday and Thanksgiving is around the corner. There isn’t much to be thankful for in Cubdom right now, and the expected lack of movement over at least the next week means we just have to keep arguing about what the front office might do. I can’t wait until we get to debate over the merits of whatever additions they end up making.

Though Jed Hoyer had nothing to do with it, there was a recent Cubs addition worth celebrating. As famed Chicago sportswriter Barry Rozner shared on social media, Ashley and Justin Sandberg (Ryne Sandberg‘s son) welcomed a baby girl this past Sunday. The couple had shared with Ryno before he passed that his granddaughter would be named after him.

Man, I just got a little misty typing that out.

I’m sure the holiday season will be difficult for the Sandberg family, but I know there will still be plenty of joy as they continue to celebrate the life of a man who was even better off the field than he was on it. Rozner may be a part of that, as he has solicited stories from people who were named after the legendary second baseman that he plans to share with the family. Most of you probably know that I named my son Ryne, so I contributed some words and pictures to the cause.

My Ryne never got to see his namesake play, but that didn’t stop him from listing Ryno as his favorite player when his travel team did a little profile series. Pete Crow-Armstrong is his current favorite, which is pretty much how it was for me growing up. I had great admiration for Ernie Banks, Ron Santo, Fergie Jenkins, and Billy Williams even though I was far too young to have watched them, but Ryno stole the show when he came along.

I hope this little bit of news puts a smile on your face and joy in your heart.

Refsnyder as Bench Bat Target

I was a little concerned about looking as though I was riding Michael Cerami’s coattails after seeing that he’d written something for Bleacher Nation about the Cubs possibly targeting former Red Sox outfielder Rob Refsnyder. Until, that is, I recalled how another Michael C. had called that possibility just over a month ago. A little over a week before retiring his post, Mike Canter wrote that Owen Caissie should be given the first crack at replacing Kyle Tucker in the lineup.

Canter went on to suggest that the righty-batting Refsnyder would be an excellent complement to the rookie:

He’s no marquee acquisition by any means, but could DH with Seiya Suzuki taking over right field when the Cubs face tough lefties. The combination of Caissie and the 34-year-old Refsnyder would nearly match Tucker’s output.

That’s almost exactly what Ken Rosenthal said during the Q&A portion of his Fair Territory podcast on Thursday (h/t to Cerami for transcribing):

Actually, that’s a really good thought. And because the Cubs are breaking in (Owen Caissie), a guy who isn’t established yet, you can certainly see a Refsnyder appealing to them. Refsnyder crushes lefties, we know that. And as I mentioned early on, the availability of right-handed hitting outfielders is not great. Refsnyder is actually one of the better ones available, though he’s not really a regular player. He’s a platoon player. So, yes, I can definitely see that particular thing kind of happening with the Cubs. I can see them being interested in Refsnyder in exactly the scenario you mentioned.

This makes a ton of sense for a variety of reasons, some of which have already been noted. We’ve heard at least one report that the Cubs believe they can replace most of Tucker’s production internally, plus there’s been buzz about them seeking outfield depth. The 34-year-old Refsnyder has never gotten more than 307 plate appearances in a season, so he understands he’s a role-player. Then you’ve got the real kicker, which is that he’s coming off a one-year, $2 million deal that equaled roughly 36% of his previous career earnings.

The Cubs, who will always seek value at the margins even if they do end up flexing their financial might, surely see Refsnyder as a way to improve the bench without jeopardizing bigger pursuits. Refsnyder, who will turn 35 on the Cubs’ March 26 home opener, has actually been an incredibly good hitter over the last few seasons. Since the start of the 2022 season, he’s slashed .276/.364/.440 with a 124 wRC+ and a .351 wOBA.

Those numbers look even better when we look at his splits against southpaws: .312/.407/.516 with a 155 wRC+ and .397 wOBA. For the sake of reference, only five players had a higher wRC+ in 2025 and only three had a higher wOBA. So while Refsnyer is never going to be compared to Aaron Judge or Shohei Ohtani, his production against lefty pitchers makes him look like those guys at a fraction of the cost.

We all want to see the Cubs spend more money on star players, but signings like this are how you round out the roster.

Other News and Notes

• Former Cubs prospect and Tigers closer Alex Lange signed with the Royals. Drafted 30th overall in 2017, Lange made it to Double-A Tennessee before being traded to Detroit as part of the Nick Castellanos deal.
• Jeff Passan reported that some believe Kyle Tucker is most likely to end up in Toronto, though that probably only happens if they don’t re-sign Bo Bichette.
• KBO’s Kiwoom Heroes have posted infielder Sung-mun Song.
• The Rangers have placed Adolis Garcia and Jonah Heim on the trade block as they look to reduce payroll ahead of the impending lockout.
• The non-tender deadline is this afternoon at 3pm CT, and the Cubs are likely to part ways with catcher Reese McGuire and righty reliever Eli Morgan. It’s possible they could work out a deal with the latter as they look to rebuild the bullpen, but Miguel Amaya‘s return makes a third catcher more of an extravagance.

Trailer Time

This is not a movie I particularly care to see, but I saw the poster for Oh. What. Fun. and thought, “Is that Michelle Pfeiffer?” Sure is, and she still looks stunning. The holiday comedy also stars Denis Leary, Eva Longoria, and Chloë Grace Moretz, so it could be one of those where the strong ensemble cast alone makes it entertaining.