Cubs DFA Alexander Canario to Make Room for Justin Turner

With Justin Turner’s arrival, the Cubs needed to clear a spot on the 40-man roster. The answer came as a shock to most fans, with Alexander Canario being designated for assignment Thursday morning. Canario was acquired in 2021 along with Caleb Kilian as the return for franchise legend Kris Bryant during the sell-off of the World Series core. He’s only appeared in 21 games with the major league team, earning 0.2 fWAR with a 135 wRC+ in 45 plate appearances.

Needing room on the roster for Justin Turner, the Cubs have DFA’d OF Alexander Canario, sources tell ESPN. Canario is a good trade candidate. He never got a real shot in Chicago, playing in just 21 big league games.

— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) February 20, 2025

 While Canario wasn’t elite by any means, he was a solid bench option who could play the outfield if an injury occurred. He had also started to get some reps at first base to give the Cubs a little flexibility and provide an emergency backup for Michael Busch, though that went out the window when Turner was signed. Because he was out of minor league options, Canario had to make the major league team to stay with the Cubs. Even though he’s got more upside than players they opted to keep, the lack of options and having greater trade value factored here.

To that end, the Cubs might already have a deal lined up or at least know they can work something out quickly. More on come as we get additional information.

Ed. note: I’ve been saying since before he got injured a while back that the Cubs really wanted to trade Canario. The broken ankle and collarbone in the winter of ’22 derailed those plans and set the outfielder back, after which he was surpassed by other prospects. Being out of options certainly played a big role here, but I still think the Cubs would be better off keeping him and parting ways with Vidal Bruján (who is also out of options).

If the goal is indeed finding ways to generate incremental wins, Canario’s ability to impact the game with his bat is much more valuable than Bruján’s versatility. Haven’t the Cubs learned by now that having options and being able to play multiple positions is only worthwhile if the production is decent? Having guys like Owen Caissie and Kevin Alcantara waiting in the wings is great, but that really only matters if a primary outfielder or two goes down for a protracted period.

What’s done is done, I just don’t really see the logic in it at this point.