Cubs non-tender Schwarber, Almora

The Chicago Cubs are moving on from two of their 2016 World Series heroes, as the team non-tendered outfielders Kyle Schwarber and Albert Almora Jr.

Chicago still hasn't ruled out re-signing Schwarber, and the sides are in ongoing discussions over a new contract, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Sports Chicago.

"It was a hard conversation. I called Kyle. We'll definitely keep the door open," president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said, according to ESPN's Jesse Rogers. "We'll continue to talk about ways to bring him back."

He added: "We had a good conversation. He's a legend. No question about that."

Schwarber has spent parts of six seasons with the Cubs and was a staple in the lineup during the team's recent run of success. After missing most of the 2016 campaign with a knee injury, he returned that October and hit .412 during the Cubs' historic World Series win over the Cleveland Indians.

The 27-year-old appeared in 59 games in 2020 as both a left fielder and designated hitter, slashing .188/.308/.393 with 11 homers and 24 RBIs.

Almora struggled at the plate this past season, posting a .465 OPS with just one RBI over 34 plate appearances. The 26-year-old, who scored the go-ahead run in Game 7 of the 2016 World Series, has been Chicago's primary center fielder during the last three seasons.

The Cubs also non-tendered slugger Jose Martinez and reliever Ryan Tepera on Wednesday. Pitchers Colin Rea, Dan Winkler, and Kyle Ryan all avoided arbitration by agreeing to contracts.

Chicago also tendered contracts to arbitration-eligible players Javier Baez, Kris Bryant, Ian Happ, Victor Caratini, and Willson Contreras.