CHICAGO, IL – AUGUST 23: An equipment bag with a Cubs logo sits in the dugout prior to game 2 of a doubleheader between the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs on August 23, 2022, at Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
For a former outfield slugger and World Series champion, a high-profile stint with the Chicago Cubs was supposed to represent the beginning of a new chapter.
Instead, his lone season on the North Side represented one of the more difficult stretches of an otherwise memorable career, though it’s something fans of the team will want to recall after a sudden career update on Monday.
Former Outfield Slugger Joined Chicago Cubs After Cancer Battle, Remarkable Comeback
Veteran slugger Trey Mancini joined the Cubs in 2023 with considerable expectations after spending most of his career as a productive middle-of-the-order presence for the Baltimore Orioles and then quickly earning a World Series championship with the Houston Astros.
“As Mancini approached free agency for the first time, (Orioles) GM Mike Elias fielded trade interest ahead of the deadline and eventually wound up sending Mancini to the 2022 Astros — with whom he won a World Series ring,” Steve Adams recalled for MLB Trade Rumors.
The Cubs signed him for two years, including a club option, hoping his versatility and power would strengthen their lineup.
It never came together. Mancini hit just .234 with a .299 on-base percentage and .336 slugging percentage across 79 games before Chicago designated him for assignment that August. He eventually cleared waivers and became a free agent, leaving his playing future uncertain.
Cubs fans will also remember that Mancini joined the team after a remarkable comeback from a cancer diagnosis.
“Early in spring training 2020, the Orioles announced that Mancini would be leaving camp to undergo an undisclosed medical procedure,” Adams recalled. “Days later, Mancini and the team announced that doctors had recently discovered a malignant tumor in his colon. He had immediately undergone surgery to remove the growth.”
Mancini returned in 2021 for the Orioles, slugging 21 homers that season, participating in the Home Run Derby and winning the American League Comeback Player of the Year Award.
Former Chicago Cubs Slugger Officially Announce Retirement After Standout Career
Now, after such a remarkable career, the former Cubs free agent pickup has announced that he is formally retiring from baseball.
After a disappointing campaign with the Cubs in 2026, Mancini fought his way back to the majors with the Los Angeles Angels this season, but after the team cut him, he decided to hang up his cleats for good.
“I knew after I got DFA’d that unless I somehow got claimed that I was gonna be done, but I wanted to take some time and not retire immediately,” Mancini told MASN’s Roch Kubatko on Monday night. “It all worked out, as long as it took to get back up. Yeah, I’m excited.”
While Mancini didn’t want to end his career until he could return to the majors following a disappointing Cubs stint, many fans in Chicago will surely wish him well in his next chapter after an astounding comeback with the Orioles.