The Chicago Cubs entered the 2026 season with significant depth in the area of starting pitching. While analysts weren’t blown away with the high-end potential of the rotation as a whole, most everyone agreed that the team’s strength was in its depth.

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Chicago started the regular season with five established starters (Matthew Boyd, Cade Horton, Shota Imanaga, Edward Cabrera, and Jameson Taillon) on the Opening Day roster, along with two rotation-capable swingmen (Colin Rea and Ben Brown). Reliable swingman Javier Assad was assigned to start the season in Triple-A Iowa, but would only be a phone call away from Wrigley. Jordan Wicks was also a name tossed about as a possible rotation fill-in. Meanwhile, ace Justin Steele is slated to make his return in May-June.

All told, that makes ten potential starters in the mix for a season where big things are expected.

Now, there’s talk that, maybe, the Cubs won’t have the rotation horses after all.

Horton’s injury spotlights Cubs rotation weak points

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Cade Horton’s forearm injury on Friday and subsequent placement on the 15-day IL is the biggest cause for alarm right now, of course. The 24-year-old right-hander was expected to be an ace-level presence on the mound after a second-half of 2025 that saw him emerge as an elite starter.

But Horton has been injury prone throughout his young career. Last year, he was shut down with a fractured rib late in the regular season and would miss the playoffs entirely. In 2024, he was shut down around mid-season with a shoulder injury. He already has a Tommy John surgery in his past.

At best, Horton had to be seen as a question mark when it came to full season duty.

New Cub Edward Cabrera also has a history of injury, with two stints on the IL just last year.

Matthew Boyd, regarded as injury-prone as well, pitched a full season last year, but it was his first 100+ inning campaign since 2019.

Shota Imanaga got smacked around a bit over the second half of last season and also got smacked around in his first start of this season.

Jameson Taillon got crushed during Cactus League play and looked touchable in his first official start of 2026.

Big problems ahead?

If one of the Cubs’ top starters falters and/or is forced to the IL for a long stretch of time, things will get rough. If a couple starters fall out, there’ll be huge problems. Because, yes, the Cubs have depth, but they’ll need more than seat-fillers. Rea, Brown, and Assad are solid, but there’s a reason they weren’t regarded as rotation fixtures.

For now, as Horton is assessed, the 35-year-old Rea will likely fill the young arm’s spot. The veteran was solid last season as the designated rotation-filler, with a 10-7 record in 27 starts and a 4.33 ERA (11-7, 3.95 ERA overall).

Chicago could do a lot worse when it comes to temporary replacements. But Rea doesn’t bring what Horton brings and “good enough for now” is not what an aspiring championship team needs near the top of their rotation.

For now, it’s reasonable to be alarmed about the team’s starting pitching, especially considering that the season is just beginning and a lot more could happen.

The post Chicago Cubs: Is it already time to sound the starting pitching alarm? appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs came up short against the Los Angeles Angels Tuesday night at Wrigley Field, but there was some good news mixed into the bad of a 2-0 loss.

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The biggest piece of positivity was the performance of Ben Brown, who came into the game in the top of the sixth inning with two outs and a pair of runners on base. The 26-year-old proceeded to cook through his appearance.

Overall, the lanky right-hander pitched 3.1 scoreless innings, striking out 5 against 1 hit and 1 walk. The impressive box score numbers, alone, don’t even tell the full story of Brown’s performance, though.

Brown dazzles, Taillon hangs tough:

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The young arm dazzled with a mix of overpowering stuff and outstanding placement. He was also sporting supreme control with 39 strikes in 50 pitches thrown.

This was his second appearance of the season and he delivered much better results this time out, although he did notch 3 strikeouts against the Nationals in relief on Opening Day. Overall this early season, he’s sporting a 2.70 ERA with 8 strikeouts in 6.2 innings pitched.

Brown fought his way this spring to the last bullpen spot on the roster and he’s quickly making a case for staying in the majors. If he keeps up the long-relief brilliance, he could also force himself back into the running for a rotation spot.

Starter Jameson Taillon didn’t quite dazzle Tuesday night, but he showed that he could perform well, even when he doesn’t have his A+ stuff. On the evening, the veteran struck out 3 over 4.2 innings while giving up 2 hits and 4 walks.

The reality is that he looked to be on the verge of allowing a big inning on a couple of occasions this outing, but he managed to maneuver out of trouble. Regardless, the scoreless appearance was a relief after a horrendous spring where he posted a 17.55 ERA over 5 games and experienced a significant dip in velocity. That velocity dip (the four-seamer was down to 90-91 mph on Tuesday) is still there, however, and that is definitely something to watch.

“I thought Jameson pitched well,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters after the game. “I thought he navigated it and there was really very little hard contact…They drove the pitch count up on him a little bit, but he did a really nice job.”

After the game, the 34-year-old said he felt good and expressed his relief with being able to get to Chicago and restart his pitching a bit.

A swap of roles?

But the tremendous Brown outing and Taillon’s lower-velocity outing happening on the same day kind of introduces the possibility that, maybe, there could be a swap of roles between the two before the end of the season.

The Cubs believe that Brown’s ultimate place will be as a starter and Taillon is working on the last year of his contract before becoming a free agent. If the younger, cheaper Brown can establish himself as a consistent presence over multiple innings, there could be a push to get him into the rotation and move Taillon into a swing man role, especially if there are no significant injuries in the rotation necessitating the use of both as starters.

That’s a big “if,” of course. Brown has shown flashes of brilliance in the past, before much longer stretches of struggle. Taillon, meanwhile, has shown the veteran ability to stabilize and solidify his game after a rough stretch of outings.

For now, the Cubs will let the season play on and make decisions further down the road.

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The Chicago Cubs are, maybe, not as secure in the starting pitching department as many thought they would be this winter.

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The names are there and there’s still an overflow of arms for the rotation, but just about every proposed starter has looked vulnerable this spring and depth has suddenly become a concern. Matthew Boyd, Jameson Taillon, Edward Cabrera, and Shota Imanaga have been beaten up in Cactus League play and that makes one wonder about backups.

Colin Rea, Ben Brown, and Javier Assad will be around, but none project as high-end starters over the long haul.

But could the Cubs have another Cade Horton surprise this season?

The next Cade Horton surprise?

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Last year, top pitching prospect Horton came up from Triple-A in May, after Imanaga’s injury, and ended up blowing people away with a dominant post-All-Star break run.

This year, current top pitching prospect Jaxon Wiggins is being predicted by some to be the surprise pitching star of the season.

The 24-year-old Wiggins came to spring training this year as a non-roster invitee and turned some heads, despite getting touched up a bit in his limited play.

“There’s a lot of good signs with Jaxon, there are a lot of good things happening,” manager Craig Counsell told media. “The finishing touches can happen really fast is how I would describe it. But they can also take a while. That’s Jaxon’s job right now, just make himself a little bit more complete pitcher. It’s certainly very close.”

Big league expectations for Wiggins

Michael Brauner of Sports Illustrated fully anticipates the 6-foot-6 Wiggins getting the major league call-up at some point this season:

“He was never going to break camp with the team, but he certainly could be on a similar trajectory as Cade Horton last year, starting the season in Iowa.

Making an impact on the coaching staff, Wiggins established himself as a name to watch and once Ballesteros officially graduates he will become the top prospect in the organization. Jed Hoyer has spoken often about how much pitching depth is needed, and the 24-year-old is the next one up.

It would be a significant surprise to not see Wiggins’ big league debut in 2026.”

Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic echoes the enthusiasm, although he holds back in predicting a likely big league debut in 2026 for the pitcher he describes as having “one of the best fastballs in the minors.”

Per Sharma:

“The fastball is in the upper 90s and has the type of vertical rise that is impossible to ignore. He also has a strong curveball, a quickly developing changeup and a slider. So what are the next steps?

…He has a walk rate well above 10 percent in each of his pro seasons. That has to change. That he walked just 5.9 percent of batters this spring was something that was taken note of. Now bring that into the season.”

Wiggins is, arguably, the last homegrown high-end starting pitching prospect in the Cubs farm system, at least for now. Fast-tracking his development and bringing him up to the majors this coming season will probably be a last resort for the Cubs– and a sign that the rotation is in deep distress.

The post Could Chicago Cubs top pitching prospect Jaxon Wiggins be the next rookie surprise? appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs’ roster is all set for Opening Day this Thursday. After an interesting offseason, which saw the team restock a depleted bullpen and add big names in third baseman Alex Bregman and starting pitcher Edward Cabrera, there are big expectations.

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Anything less than the NL Central Division title and a deep playoff run will be considered a failure after the team’s winter moves.

The biggest x-factor, though, may be the bullpen.

The bullpen as the Cubs’ x-factor

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Chicago’s 2026 pen features four new faces in free agents Phil Maton, Hoby Milner, Jacob Webb, and Hunter Harvey, who will make up the breadbasket of the relief corps, along with the re-signed Caleb Thielbar. All are coming into the season with a solid history of success behind them.

The only unknown in the mid-section of the Cubs’ bullpen is Harvey, who has a significant history of injury. So far this spring, however, Harvey has been healthy and strong, throwing 96-97 mph with a 1.80 ERA and 5 strikeouts in 5 innings.

The 26-year-old Ben Brown fought his way on to the Opening Day roster this spring and will take a long relief/swingman role alongside veteran Colin Rea, who was an unsung pitching hero in 2025.

Then, there’s Daniel Palencia, the closer.

Will Palencia’s WBC dominance carry over?

Palencia had a surprisingly dominant run after being called up from Triple-A last April, but then suffered through a prodigious fall from grace over the last part of the season.

This spring, though, Palencia has been monstrous. His dominance in the WBC as the closer for Team Venezuela will go down as borderline legendary. Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic believes that this is the harbinger of good tidings for the coming season

Per Sharma:

“It’s time to go all-in on the Daniel Palencia hype train. Yes, it’s dangerous to assume that a reliever can do it again after just one season of success (see: Porter Hodge from 2024 to 2025). Yet, Palencia came into camp even more determined after a breakout 2025 and looked the part physically. Then he dominated as the closer for the World Baseball Classic champions, Team Venezuela.

Palencia allowed no runs or hits and struck out nine in five innings while walking just one batter and hitting another. He was perfect in his three save opportunities, and his two-pitch mix was dialed in. The Cubs will certainly trade for a reliever. Maybe even a dominant one. Still, Palencia will leave no doubt as to who is finishing games.”

The big question when it comes to every bullpen is whether it’ll hold over the course of a 162-game season and into the playoffs. Last year, the Cubs used 26 different relief pitchers during the regular season, with their season-ending bullpen looking almost nothing like their Opening Day bullpen.

That’s likely to happen again this season, despite there being more of an established veteran vibe in the bullpen right now. Injuries happen, arms go flat, changes need to be made. That’s just the nature of baseball.

Do the Cubs have the bullpen horses to win this 2026 race? That’s the question. If/when someone falters from the bullpen right now, Chicago will have names such as Javier Assad, Jordan Wicks, Porter Hodge, and Gavin Hollowell to move in. It’s also pretty much a guarantee that some arms from the outside will be brought in over the course of the season.

Right now, at least on paper, the bullpen looks more secure this Opening Day than last. But this IS baseball…

The post The Chicago Cubs bullpen is all set, but will it be enough? appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs appeared to have things pretty much hashed out when it came to their starting rotation. The offseason acquisition of emerging powerhouse Edward Cabrera from the Miami Marlins seemed to fill the last spot of a rotation that was already pretty packed before the trade.

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But things can change in a heartbeat in baseball– both for the better and for the worse.

Some of that “worst” is coming from Jameson Taillon. The veteran starter, who was so clutch last season for the Cubs down the stretch and through the playoffs, has been getting absolutely shellacked this spring. In Sunday’s 14-8 loss to the Dodgers, the 34-year-old gave up 10 runs on 8 hits, with 4 walks, over 3.2 innings, bringing his Cactus League ERA to a whopping 22.18. Perhaps more importantly, his velocity is down significantly, as is the movement on his pitches.

But with the bad news, there’s also some good news.

Brown’s rise paired with Taillon’s fall

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The 26-year-old Ben Brown has been looking like he’s finally turned a corner in his development.

The Cubs have always eyed the tall righty as a potential rotation piece, but, despite flashes of brilliance, his performances have been too inconsistent to really consider him in that role. That may be changing.

Coming into the third year of his young major league career, Brown has added a sinker to his repertoire and is also sporting a fortified mindset.

“I feel like I’m in a much better spot than I was last year,” Brown told the Chicago Tribune. “The resilience and the ability to pitch in different situations is something that I need to add to my repertoire and to be confident in. And that doesn’t mean I can’t stop dreaming of what my career could be like, but for right now, what can my day look like? That’s the focus…Wherever I am right now is where I have to be and be my best because I didn’t really do a good job of that last year.”

Being focused on the present and on growing as a pitcher has yielded solid results this spring. In 10.2 innings of spring training play, Brown has a 3.38 ERA and 15 strikeouts against only 3 walks.

Swapping of roles?

So, the rise of Brown and the apparent fall of Taillon have to bring up the possibility that Chicago might be forced into making a major decision soon. Could they consider a swapping of roles, with Brown taking a spot in the rotation and Taillon moving to long relief duties in the bullpen?

Taillon, set to become a free agent at the end of next season, has been an important starting pitching asset for the Cubs over the last three years, but they can’t go too long with him every fifth day if he’s just not up to the task.

The team has been clear that they hope for Brown to become the rotation stud his raw ability always suggested he could be. But will 2026 be that year where he establishes himself in that regard?

The Cubs have a deep enough starting pitching pool to absorb the loss of a guy like Taillon. If Brown’s not the man to fill the job, there’s Javier Assad, who’s done very well this spring, as well as the reliable Colin Rea. Then, of course, ace Justin Steele is moving towards his comeback, which is projected to happen in May or June. A little bit down the road, top pitching prospect Jaxon Wiggins will also be knocking on the door.

For now, though, the Cubs will surely give Taillon every possible chance to figure things out and get back on track. If he can’t, though, there are options.

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The Chicago Cubs don’t typically target young prospects like Moises Ballesteros. The analytics-loving Cubs staff usually goes after the thoroughbred multi-tool athletes who, visually, stand out as blue chip prospects.

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Ballesteros was short and squat. He didn’t fit the bill of a blue-chipper by Cubs’ standards and, by all accounts, his defensive game was all but nonexistent.

Yet, the Cubs signed the kid from Venezuela anyway, snatching him up as an international free agent just about two months after his 17th birthday, forking over a $1.2 million signing bonus. And they did it all because they recognized that this kid could really hit.

Ballesteros’ impressive run

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Ballesteros would prove the team’s faith in him warranted. Despite being the youngest prospect at almost every level he reached in the organization, he never failed to impress with the bat. His advanced hitting prowess would carry him to Cubs Minor League Player of the Year recognition in 2023 and 2024.

In his first major league run last season, he hit .298 in 66 plate appearances split up over three separate call-ups, with an especially impressive .333 average over 39 at bats in September He’s now slotted in to be the team’s full-time DH in 2026.

This spring, the talk regarding Ballesteros has centered around his still-developing defensive game as a catcher because, apparently, everybody just assumes now that he’ll hit (and he HAS, hitting .333 in 27 Cactus League at bats so far after a late arrival due to Visa issues).

Catching is getting rave reviews

The assessments of Ballesteros, the catcher, have been positive.

“From a pitch-calling standpoint, I love the way he thinks,” Cubs pitcher Ben Brown told media. “I love the way he goes about hitters. He’s a great hitter himself. He has great plate discipline. What he can do offensively is really special, so I think he brings that into his catching.

“I think everyone, top to bottom, in all honesty, we truly believe that Bally can stick back there. There’s no doubt. He loves to learn. He’s such a good teammate. He’s such a light in the clubhouse. He’s a joy to be around.”

New Cubs starter Edward Cabrera also praised him for his work behind the plate.

“I was shocked,” Cabrera told reporters, via interpreter, following a game caught by Ballesteros, where the young catcher flipped three balls to strikes via ABS challenge. “Having a catcher who sees the zone that well gives me a lot of confidence, especially in tight counts. He did a great job guiding me through those innings.”

Bat first, everything else is a bonus

The reality when it comes to Ballesteros, though, is that he’ll make the major league roster almost entirely on the weight of his bat. Everything that he can give defensively, would be just a bonus.

“He’s been an exceptional hitter,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters late last season. “That’s the best development for Moisés, really, is that he’s come up to the big leagues and shown everybody what a natural hitter he is, (while being) put in the fire against some tough, tough competition. The rest is a bonus.”

Even as an all-bat prospect, expectations are high heading into this season. There’s even been some Rookie of the Year chatter.

Right now, defensively, he stands to be the Cubs’ third catcher, behind Carson Kelly and Miguel Amaya and he’ll also be in the mix as a backup to first baseman Michael Busch. But the team would be ecstatic if he could work his way into becoming an Alejandro Kirk-like asset behind the plate. Early thoughts appear to be that he has the unconventional athleticism and work ethic to develop in that direction. He is, after all, only 22.

For now, he’ll be given the bat and asked to produce come Opening Day. Defensive nuance can wait.

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Ben Brown has showcased a new pitch to his arsenal this Spring Training. So far, he’s used a sinker exclusively against right-handed hitters, giving him another option alongside his four-seam fastball and knuckle curve. Against lefties, Brown has leaned on his changeup, a common strategy for right-handed pitchers looking to neutralize opposite-handed batters.

Now halfway through Spring Training, the metrics on Brown’s sinker look exceptional. He’s averaging 13.5 inches of run on the pitch, consistently throwing it for strikes and generating swings and misses. Given those early results, the Chicago Cubs may want to consider making it his primary fastball. Last season, opposing hitters teed off on his four-seamer, batting .315 with a .566 slugging percentage while producing just a 14% whiff rate.

No matter how it’s ultimately deployed, Brown figures to use the sinker in some capacity in 2026. Recently, he revealed how the pitch came to be, and the strenuous training he went through with a former two-time All-Star to develop it.

Ben Brown’s new sinker came from training with 2x All-Star Clay Holmes

After the 2025 season, Brown was encouraged by multiple people to train with Clay Holmes during the offseason. The two had never met before, but Cubs vice president of pitching strategy Tyler Zombro helped connect them. Brown ultimately spent the entire offseason working alongside Holmes, something few pitchers can say, given Holmes’ reputation for intense workouts.

Together, the two worked to develop Brown’s sinker. Holmes, who pitches for the New York Mets, is a sinkerballer himself. Brown doesn’t use the exact same grip as Holmes, but it’s easy to see why Holmes was able to guide him through the nuances of the pitch and why Brown has seen positive results so quickly.

According to Holmes, Brown’s sinker was generating as much as 18 inches of run during bullpen sessions over the winter. Brown has reached that mark a few times this spring, but the pitch has still produced strong results overall. If he’s looking to take a step forward, continuing to incorporate the sinker,  perhaps even making it one of his most frequently used pitches, could be a strategy worth serious consideration.

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Chicago Cubs pitcher Ben Brown is entering the 2026 season with plenty to prove. The 26-year-old struggled a year ago, posting a 5.92 ERA across 25 appearances (15 starts) while logging 106.1 innings. With just one minor league option remaining, finding success in 2026 is critical for his long-term outlook.

Brown arrived at camp taking full accountability for last season’s struggles, but he’s also come with a plan, featuring an intriguing new pitch he hopes will help turn things around. That pitch, a sinker, is playing quite well so far this spring, and even though it is early, it is clear that the Cubs should emphasize Brown relying on his sinker more than his four-seam fastball in 2026.

Why the Chicago Cubs should have Ben Brown rely on his sinker instead of his fastball in 2026

Despite averaging a solid 96 mph, Brown’s four-seam fastball didn’t fool major league hitters last year. Opponents hit .315 against it and slugged .566, while generating just a 14% whiff rate. Considering he threw the pitch 55% of the time, it’s easy to see why his ERA became inflated, as hitters frequently teed off on it. The pitch is fairly straight and doesn’t feature much movement or ride, making it easier for opposing batters to square up and lay off when it is outside of the strike zone.

Now imagine if he began replacing that pitch with his new sinker, which not only has impressed so far this spring but would give him a fastball option that has good downward movement. In his outing on March 6, he not only threw it slightly harder, around 97 mph, but it also outperformed his four-seam fastball across the board. The sinker generated more strikes (85% compared to 56%), induced far more chases (67% versus 11% on the fastball), and limited hard contact, producing an average exit velocity of just 82 mph compared to 99 mph against the four-seamer.

Although Brown didn’t have great overall results in that outing, allowing three runs over 2.2 innings while throwing 48 pitches, the underlying metrics on the sinker suggest it’s a pitch he should consider using more frequently, as it could pay off over the long run. One notable detail from the appearance is that he did not throw a single sinker to a left-handed hitter, a matchup he’ll likely need to grow more comfortable with if he plans to rely on the pitch more often.

The post Why the Cubs should have Ben Brown rely on his new pitch in 2026 appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs are well underway in Spring Training as they prepare for the start of the 2026 season. One of the questions that they are trying to answer is what pitchers they will carry onto their Opening Day roster. This is, of course, the case every year. That being said, this year’s crop of pitchers presents a great deal of interesting possibilities.

Among the pitchers that are vying for a spot in the starting rotation and/or bullpen is right-handed pitcher Ben Brown. Originally acquired by the Cubs in 2022 in a trade for David Robertson, Brown has appeared in the Majors for Chicago in each of the past two seasons.

However, he is not guaranteed a spot on the Opening Day roster in 2026.

Chicago Cubs RHP Ben Brown named “dark horse” candidate to make Opening Day roster

Brown made the Opening Day roster in 2025, but struggled mightily last season. He was just 5-8 in 25 games (15 starts) with a 5.92 ERA. He also recorded his first career save.

Indeed, Brown has not pitched consistently well on the Major League level. For his career, he has a 5.12 ERA. However, if he performs well this spring, he could find his way onto the Opening Day roster again:

“Brown made the Cubs’ Opening Day rotation a year ago, but the current makeup of the starting staff and bullpen has the righty on the outside looking in this spring. Barring anything unexpected, the rotation projects to include Matthew Boyd, Edward Cabrera, Cade Horton, Shota Imanaga and Jameson Taillon. A sixth option, veteran Colin Rea, looks ticketed for one of the few relief vacancies.

“This puts the hard-throwing Brown in a position where Chicago will consider sending him to Triple-A Iowa as rotation depth. That said, with his intriguing two-pitch mix (and a developing changeup), Brown has a chance to win a bullpen job this spring.”

As noted above, the Cubs could send Brown to Triple-A to start the season and bring him back up to the Majors later when they need a little extra pitching depth. However, his newfound changeup could be a real game-changer for him, and if he can throw it effectively, could become an integral part of the rotation.

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For More Chicago Sports

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The Chicago Cubs are definitely one of the best teams in baseball on paper thanks to a strong offseason in which they swung a trade for pitcher Edward Cabrera and signed Alex Bregman in free agency.

Yes, the Cubs lost Kyle Tucker (and to the Los Angeles Dodgers, of all teams), but the rest of their roster is undeniably impressive.

As a result, it will be tough for some fringe players to actually make Chicago’s roster, and that includes pitcher Ben Brown.

Brown made 25 appearances and 15 starts last season, going 5-8 with a 5.92 ERA while allowing 121 hits and racking up 121 strikeouts over 106.1 innings of work. The strikeout numbers were impressive, but the overall results were obviously more than questionable.

The 26-year-old is now in a tough spot with the Cubs given their starting rotation depth, but Brandon Glick of Cubbies Crib has pitched a potential solution for Brown: moving to the bullpen.

The Chicago Cubs should make Ben Brown a full-time reliever

For some reason, Chicago is insisting on attempting to make Brown a starter when it seems pretty clear that he has the stuff to become a very good reliever.

“The problem is (and remains) that he only has two offerings. Brown would make for a fine reliever with his combination of velocity and big breaker, but the Cubs remain committed to keeping him stretched out for the rotation,” Glick wrote. “That’s a tall ask for someone who can’t really make it through the order multiple times without showing every trick up his sleeve.”

Relievers typically have only a couple of key pitches that they employ, and in Brown’s case, it certainly works for him when it comes to fanning hitters. He also has pretty good control, owning a lifetime 2.8 BB/9 through two big-league campaigns. He also owns a very respectable 3.63 K/BB ratio.

So why is Chicago being stubborn in trying to give Brown a spot in the rotation?

The right-hander posted a 6.30 ERA as a starter in 2025. Sure, his 4.99 ERA out of the bullpen wasn’t sparkling, but his 4.44 K/BB ratio as a relief pitcher indicates that there is potential for Brown to actually become an integral cog late in games.

The Cubs should absolutely abandon the idea of Brown as a starter and convert him into a reliever. We’ll see if they actually make the right move.

The post Chicago Cubs flamethrower urged to make major change to save his job appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs are definitely one of the best teams in baseball on paper thanks to a strong offseason in which they swung a trade for pitcher Edward Cabrera and signed Alex Bregman in free agency.

Yes, the Cubs lost Kyle Tucker (and to the Los Angeles Dodgers, of all teams), but the rest of their roster is undeniably impressive.

As a result, it will be tough for some fringe players to actually make Chicago’s roster, and that includes pitcher Ben Brown.

Brown made 25 appearances and 15 starts last season, going 5-8 with a 5.92 ERA while allowing 121 hits and racking up 121 strikeouts over 106.1 innings of work. The strikeout numbers were impressive, but the overall results were obviously more than questionable.

The 26-year-old is now in a tough spot with the Cubs given their starting rotation depth, but Brandon Glick of Cubbies Crib has pitched a potential solution for Brown: moving to the bullpen.

The Chicago Cubs should make Ben Brown a full-time reliever

For some reason, Chicago is insisting on attempting to make Brown a starter when it seems pretty clear that he has the stuff to become a very good reliever.

“The problem is (and remains) that he only has two offerings. Brown would make for a fine reliever with his combination of velocity and big breaker, but the Cubs remain committed to keeping him stretched out for the rotation,” Glick wrote. “That’s a tall ask for someone who can’t really make it through the order multiple times without showing every trick up his sleeve.”

Relievers typically have only a couple of key pitches that they employ, and in Brown’s case, it certainly works for him when it comes to fanning hitters. He also has pretty good control, owning a lifetime 2.8 BB/9 through two big-league campaigns. He also owns a very respectable 3.63 K/BB ratio.

So why is Chicago being stubborn in trying to give Brown a spot in the rotation?

The right-hander posted a 6.30 ERA as a starter in 2025. Sure, his 4.99 ERA out of the bullpen wasn’t sparkling, but his 4.44 K/BB ratio as a relief pitcher indicates that there is potential for Brown to actually become an integral cog late in games.

The Cubs should absolutely abandon the idea of Brown as a starter and convert him into a reliever. We’ll see if they actually make the right move.

The post Chicago Cubs flamethrower urged to make major change to save his job appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs added a new All-Star third basemen this offseason in Alex Bregman, a new starter in Edward Cabrera, and four new free agent bullpen arms. That’s a significant offseason haul.

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But the key figures on the 26-man roster just might be off to the side of the players making all the headlines and selling the fans on a successful 2026.

When it comes to starting pitching, one would be right to laud the depth of the Cubs’ rotation. Adding Cabrera and retaining Shota Imanaga gives the team six viable starters when ace Justin Steele comes back from his elbow surgery around mid-season.

Just below the rotation, though, is where the Cubs’ real depth may lie.

The Cubs’ embarrassment of riches

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Chicago has some serious depth when it comes to the in-between region where the rotation merges with the bullpen, aka the land of the swingmen.

Those doubting the importance of a good swingman on a pitching staff need look no further than the crucial role Colin Rea played last year in helping stabilize a rotation hobbled by injury throughout the season.

The veteran stepping up into the rotation was a boon when Steele went down to injury, when Imanaga went down, and when Jameson Taillon went down. Although Rea’s final 2026 stats don’t look overwhelmingly awesome (10-7, 4.33 ERA as a starter in 27 games, 11-7, 3.95 ERA overall), the importance of him stepping into the rotation and delivering consistently solid performances when the team was down one or two starters can’t be overlooked.

“Colin was exactly what we had hoped for and probably more,” manager Craig Counsell commented last season, during the playoffs. “Man, he’s just been the glue. He’s been a lot of glue for us, is the best way to describe it.”

The Cubs saw fit to bring Rea back on a restructured deal that keeps him in Chicago for the 2026 season with an option for 2027.

Javier Assad, healthy and ready

And, along with Rea, the Cubs have three more swingmen who could step into the rotation when/if plans go sideways and a helping hand is needed.

Javier Assad was hobbled by an oblique injury for much of 2025, not making his season debut until August 12. But, when back, he was as quietly effective as in prior seasons (3-1, 3.89 ERA in 7 starts, 4-1, 3.65 ERA overall).

Ahead of this coming season, the 28-year-old has focused on health and on staying in shape.

“I worked on the physical aspects of my body, especially with the oblique injury last year,” Assad told media via interpreter. “So I worked on a lot of the midsection of my body, made sure I strengthened that to make sure that this year I am healthy.”

On many staffs, Assad would be a very solid back-of-rotation piece. In 2024, his first season as a full-time starter, he posted a 3.73 ERA in 29 starts. His ability to seamlessly move between the rotation and the bullpen makes him a solid candidate to be another Colin Rea of the 2026 pitching staff.

Even more swingmen

Ben Brown, meanwhile, is more of a work in progress than a finished product right now. But the Cubs still see him, ultimately, as a rotation piece. His 6.30 ERA in 15 starts last season (5.92 ERA overall) was ugly, but his 3.23 ERA in 8 2024 starts offsets some of that bad look.

The 26-year-old has shown flashes of brilliance and will be coming into 2026 with two new pitches in his repertoire.

“I developed a sinker and changeup this offseason,” Brown told media. “It’s the same changeup grip, it’s a kick. For the first time, I feel really in control of it, especially since it’s a pitch I learned halfway through last year. So having a whole offseason to work on it (helps). The sinker is completely new. It’s never been used in a big-league game.”

One step below Brown in the Cubs pitching pecking order is lefty Jordan Wicks, who had some success as both a starter and a reliever before falling apart the last couple seasons.

The 26-year-old spent some time at Tread Athletic in the offseason fine-tuning mechanics and working on delivery to improve efficiency and overall conditioning. At his best, like during most of his recent run at Triple-A Iowa, Wicks can be an effective southpaw swingman and inning-eater.

Having such a group of swingmen on the roster will actually give the Cubs ten potential starters (actually twelve, if you count minor league contract pickups Kyle Wright and Trent Thornton) — a tremendous luxury during a long season where injuries WILL happen and pitching depth is a must throughout the regular season and postseason.

The post A look at the Chicago Cubs’ greatest under-the-radar 2026 strength appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs seem determined not to repeat the mistakes made last season when they simply didn’t have enough pitching depth to carry them through the postseason.

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This offseason, aside from bringing back Shota Imanaga and Caleb Thielbar for at least one more season, they also went about re-arming a depleted bullpen with four free agent signings and stockpiling a load of pitchers via minor league deals. Their biggest move, though, came in trading for the Miami Marlins’ emerging power pitcher Edward Cabrera, who will be penciled in somewhere between the no. 2 and no. 4 slots in the starting rotation.

Amid all the pitching moves this offseason, some of the holdovers from 2025 have been overlooked.

Ben Brown is one of those overlooked holdovers.

Ben Brown’s rough (but also promising) 2025

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Admittedly, after a rough 2025, it’s easy to overlook the 6-foot-6 righty. A 5.92 ERA over 25 appearances, along with the second-worst average exit velocity allowed in all of baseball, are not points of pride. Things like that will definitely get you put on the back burner of a team with serious postseason aspirations.

But the 26-year-old could actually be a low-key X factor on this 2026 Cubs squad.

Brown, who came over from the Philadelphia Phillies organization in a 2022 trade deadline deal for reliever David Robertson, has shown moments of brilliance throughout his short 2-season major league career. In 2025, for instance, he led MLB in knuckle curve strikeouts with 83.

The raw tools are there for excellence, but the consistency has not been.

Where do you pitch him?

In 2026, another problem promises to complicate Brown’s ability to contribute to the big league Cubs– the question of where to actually use him.

With the starting rotation filled (and soon to be overflowing with the return of Justin Steele) and swing man gigs going to the more established Colin Rea and Javier Assad, Brown seems stuck to third-tier bullpen duty on the Cubs’ pitching staff, if he breaks spring training with the team at all.

Cubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy sees the possibilities in Brown, but shares that uncertainty concerning how to use him.

“For me, I 100% see him as a starter,” Hottovy told media earlier in the offseason. “He’s got the upside to be a really good power pitcher in the back end of the bullpen, but you don’t want to just crown that. You want that to kind of happen. Sometimes it happens because it’s what the team needs. Sometimes it happens because the player shows you that’s his best role.”

Realities and expectations

As of right now, there appears to be more closer potential than front-of-rotation potential. A relatively limited pitch arsenal (with the fastball and knuckle curve accounting for 95.5% of his pitches in 2025) would seem to put a cap on how far he could go as a starter. His 96+ mph fastball and his ability to induce whiffs with the knuckle curve, though, could be maximized as tools in shorter one or two-inning appearances.

Brown, himself, acknowledges his versatility as a plus for his ability to contribute to a team that is focusing on depth and maneuverability.

“I think that’s something I need to embrace even more,” Brown recently told Marquee Sports Network. “Doesn’t matter what role I’m in or where I’m at. I got to go out there and pitch and compete and focusing and honing in on that will be huge.”

But what else could he say, right?

With the rotation set and the bullpen restocked, Brown’s role will have to be as a “wherever, whenever he can” pitcher and as insurance against injury.

It’s in him to surprise, though. And if he does manage to put it all together this season, he could be an unexpected key to 2026 success.

The post Chicago Cubs: Is this young pitcher an x-factor or just dead weight? appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs limped into the NLDS with a starting rotation limited to two reliable pitchers and a bullpen held together by hopes, wishes, and the managerial maneuverings of Craig Counsell.

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To their credit, though, they almost worked through their glaring weaknesses by taking the Milwaukee Brewers to Game 5 after falling behind 0-2 in the best of five series. But there was no way to walk away from the NLDS loss not recognizing that they needed to fortify their pitching across the board, starting with their rotation.

To the Cubs’ credit, they didn’t lean on the excuse that they were missing an injured Cade Horton and Justin Steele. It would’ve been easy to sit back and do nothing, depending on the return of Horton and Steele in 2026 to be the big offseason pitching additions for a second straight playoff push. The front office, however, has come right out and declared impact pitching to be their primary focus this winter.

The question, though, is where to find it and how far Cubs ownership is willing to go to get it.

Looking for high-end starting pitching

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There are several front-of-rotation starters currently on the free agent market and Chicago was reportedly in on Dylan Cease before the Blue Jays dug a little deeper into their pockets to snatch him up. Framber Valdez, Ranger Suarez, Michael King, Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, and the Japanese import Tatsuya Imai are still available and the Cubs have had reported interest in several of them.

But would it be wise to bet on the Cubs laying out big money on a long contract for any pitcher? They haven’t done that since they signed Yu Darvish to a 6-year, $126 million contract back in 2018– and they ended up trading him just two years into that contract.

It’s much more likely that the Cubs will look for their impact arm via trade.

A trade is more likely

They tried to do that last winter before getting cold feet on a Jesus Luzardo deal with the Marlins. But this year might be different. They know (and everybody knows) that the team is really close to moving from a playoff contender to a World Series contender. Right fielder Kyle Tucker will be gone this winter and a good chunk of the roster is due to become free agents after next season. If some high-end talent is not acquired this winter, while there’s the best chance to win, the entire Cubs organization will be raked over the proverbial coals.

But what would a trade for high-end pitching cost, especially considering that the Cubs will be looking for a starter with years of team control ahead? It’ll be uncomfortably expensive.

The cost in trade capital

Jake Misener of Cubbies Crib recently proposed a trade for a young, front-of-rotation starting pitcher that seems pretty much right on the money.

In his proposal, the Cubs would get SP Edward Cabrera and RP Anthony Bender for an absolute haul of Cub prospects– OF Owen Caissie (no. 1 Cubs prospect), P Jaxon Wiggins (no. 3 Cubs prospect), IF James Triantos (no. 10 Cubs prospect), and P Ben Brown.

Giving up three top 10 prospects– including their no. 1 pitching prospect– along with a young arm with big potential up side is a high price to pay. But Cabrera, who many believe has turned the corner on his development, could be worth it. It also doesn’t hurt that the 27-year-old is under team control through the 2028 season and will be making less than $2 million in 2026 before becoming eligible for arbitration. Bender, meanwhile, would be a welcomed addition to a bullpen in need of a full-on rebuild.

Would the Cubs go for such a deal– or any deal that demands so much in trade capital?

They would, if they’re serious about adding a core component to their starting rotation. A budget-friendly, team-controlled starter won’t come cheap and there’s no way around having to trade away plenty of young talent to get one.

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The Chicago Cubs had one of “those” kinds of wins Saturday night at Angel Stadium in Anaheim against the Los Angeles Angels. It was a nice, comfy, comfortable 12-1 victory where the result was never really in doubt.

This kind of win couldn’t have come at a better time. In recent weeks, it seems that the team has had to struggle and strain to eke out every single “W.” This last one, though, was, well, really, really pleasant…and it may be the catalyst for even better days to come.

Built into Saturday’s rout was a heaping helping of heroics from several different players. There was also some historic significance to those heroics.

Kyle Tucker makes Cubs history

The biggest story of the evening was Kyle Tucker’s 2-home run, 5-RBI, 3-for-5 performance at the plate. Since coming alive from a dire, extended slump on Friday night, the right-fielder is 4-for-9 with 3 home runs and 6 RBIs.

With the two homers hit on Saturday– his first multi-homer game for the Cubs– Tucker is now a 20-20 man (at least 20 home runs, 20 stolen bases) for the third time in his career. Him and Pete Crow-Armstrong now make up the first 20-20 tandem in Cubs history.

The four-time All-Star told reporters after Saturday’s game that he was “fine” after a run of frustrations that saw him work through a hairline fracture in his hand and then deal with the ordeal of a brutal slump that lasted nearly two full month.

“I don’t know how tomorrow’s going to go,” Tucker said, with his usual deadpan delivery. “You try and do your best at it. But at the same time, the guys on the other team get paid pretty well to do their job as well. You just try and take stuff pitch-by-pitch, one at-bat and game-by-game.”

Cade Horton’s historic excellence

Overshadowed by the story of Tucker’s revival was Cade Horton’s continued excellence on the mound.

The rookie starter threw 6 shutout innings, allowing just 3 hits while striking out 7. The performance, amid concerns of a possible blister issue, lowered Horton’s ERA to 2.88. It also made some history.

The 24-year-old now holds the Cubs record for the fewest earned runs (2) over a 7-start span, topping Cubs World Series heroes Jon Lester (3) and Jake Arrieta (3). He’s also delivered the most scoreless starts of 5+ innings in all of baseball since July 1.

How good has Horton been?

In his 9 starts since July 1, he’s notched a minuscule 1.11 ERA.

In Saturday’s outing, he showcased his go get ‘em control by throwing the first 21 pitches of the game for strikes.

“His efficiency and how many outs he’s getting in these outings … I didn’t expect this when we decided to do this,” manager Craig Counsell told reporters after the game. “He’s been incredible with it. It’s helped us out a ton and it’s helped our bullpen out a ton.”

“I think that’s just kind of the way I pitch,” Horton told media Saturday night. “It’s get ahead, stay ahead. Just continuing to stay on the attack and letting the result be what it is…I’ll be able to sleep good tonight, but tomorrow, it’s back to work.”

Chicago Cubs heroics all-around

Also able to sleep well that night was backup catcher Reese McGuire who hit his first-ever grand slam and delivered a career-tying high 5 RBIs.

Then, there was Ben Brown, who came in relief of Horton and allowed 1 earned run in 3 innings to take the save.

First baseman Michael Busch also came out of his own slump with a 2-for-5 game, hitting a double and driving in a run.

All in all, Saturday’s battering of the Angels was just what the doctor ordered for the well-being of a Cubs team hoping to create momentum heading into the postseason.

The post The Chicago Cubs’ night of historic heroics makes for a feel-good vibe appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs suffered another injury-related starting pitching setback in Monday’s frustrating 3-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds.

Trade deadline acquisition Michael Soroka went down after just two innings pitched with his new team.

“He said he let a pitch go in the second inning and it just didn’t feel good,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters after the game. “Came in the dugout and said the shoulder was not feeling good. It’s an IL (stint) and we’ll see what the next steps are…

“Look, you feel bad for Michael first and just hope that there’s just some discomfort there and a couple weeks can take care of it. That’s where we’re at. We’re going to have to wait to get more information before we know what we’re dealing with.”

Chicago Cubs karma?

Critics of the Cubs’ passive run at the July 31 trade deadline could almost call this injury karma for the team’s failure to acquire a much-needed front-of-rotation pitcher to bolster a staff already strained due to injury and general wear and tear.

Instead, the only starter acquired at the deadline by Cubs president Jed Hoyer was the oft-injured Soroka, who, at 81.1 innings pitched so far this season for the Washington Nationals, had amassed his highest inning total since 2019.

Over the course of his eight years as a major leaguer, Soroka has had elbow issues, shoulder issues, hamstring issues, and two ACL tears which cost him two whole seasons. Earlier this season, he had gone on the IL with a bicep injury.

Prior to the trade, Soroka had experienced an almost 3 mph drop in velocity over recent starts. An MRI taken prior to his last start with Washington on July 29 reportedly gave him a clean bill of health.

The Cubs had seen his medical reports and apparently had no reservations about trading two top 15 prospects for him.

Soroka speaks about his injury

“I didn’t have any discomfort, I didn’t have any pain. There was no reason to believe there was anything wrong,” Soroka told media after the game. “We cleared that. Unfortunately, that changed a little bit in the second inning today.”

“I went to go put a little extra on a fastball and it grabbed me a little bit,” Soroka said of the injury. “It didn’t go away. You feel things here and there through the course of an outing. Usually if you throw another one and it’s gone, it’s nothing. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. So, I decided to say something when I came in after that inning.”

Cubs rotation, back to where it was

The 28-year-old will now be headed to the IL and the Cubs rotation goes back to what it was before the trade deadline– hanging on precariously with Matthew Boyd and Shota Imanaga at the top and rookie Cade Horton, along with veteran swing man Colin Rea, coming after them. The up and down Ben Brown, who took the mound after Soroka’s injury and pitched 4 good innings, will probably take up the fifth rotation spot until Jameson Taillon finishes his rehab assignment in the minors.

Soroka, meanwhile, is hoping to roll with these punches and get back to a place where he can help his new team win.

“There’s difficulties in this game,” Soroka said. “I’m no stranger to them. Unfortunately, this is another one. I’m going to be working with the staff day and night to get back out there.”

“You come to this org and you hope to hit the ground running,” he added. “Two innings later, we’re having to pull the plug. Obviously, it’s concerning, but there is hope that it’s something that can be taken care of fairly quickly. Hopefully we’ll be back out there in some respect at some point soon.,,

“I think there’s a lot of baseball left for this club and I’d like to be a big part of that down the stretch. We’re going to do everything possible to be there.”

The post Chicago Cubs’ injured new pitcher speaks out about “concerning” setback appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs were reported to be aggressive buyers prior to the July 31 trade deadline this year, focused on the fact that the team desperately needed high-end starting pitching if they were to be serious candidates for a deep playoff run. Names such as Mitch Keller, Edward Cabrera, Sandy Alcantara, Mackenzie Gore, Merrill Kelly, and Zac Gallen were said to be targets.

Instead, they ended up with Michael Soroka…only.

Of the team’s four trade deadline acquisitions, two were relievers, one was an infielder/outfielder, and the other was the Washington Nationals starter.

It was a disappointing haul for a team with clearly defined needs and, seemingly, the prospect capital and budget to pick up who they needed for their playoff run.

Soroka adds concerns to an already-strained Chicago Cubs rotation

Soroka’s 4.87 ERA in 16 appearances this season doesn’t inspire confidence. Neither does a history of injury that had kept him under 80 innings pitched since 2019 until this year’s 81.1 innings so far.

The righty will be wedged into the strained Cubs rotation, beginning this Monday, on his 28th birthday. It’ll give the team one more starter with concerns, constraints, limitations, and/or question marks heading into the heat of the postseason push.

Rookie Cade Horton is another starter with doubt attached. The 23-year-old has been brilliant of late, delivering 5 shutout innings in the Cubs’ 1-0 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Friday. Over his last five starts, he’s sporting a stellar 1.25 ERA, with all four earned runs during that stretch coming in one outing.

But Horton is at 102.2 innings pitched on the season, between the minors and the majors. In last year’s injury-shortened season, he only registered 34.1 innings. In his previous three minor league seasons, he’s never pitched more than 88.1 innings. There is legitimate concern over his durability over this long 2025 haul, something which was evident with the quick hook he got on Friday after five innings and just 71 pitches.

“It’s just something that we’re going to keep an eye on with Cade for sure,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters after this last game. “And when there’s opportunities and moments to [pull him early], we’re going to do it.

“He got to start on normal rest here and we got five innings from him. So yeah, we’re gonna pick some spots here [to] just lessen the innings.”

Matthew Boyd is also a concern

The same durability concerns applying to Soroka and Horton also apply to Matthew Boyd, who’s been brilliant this year.

Boyd, coming off Tommy John surgery last year and other injuries prior to that, hadn’t logged more than 100 innings since 2019. He has 123.2 so far this year.

The difference between Boyd and Soroka and Horton, however, is that the Cubs can’t really afford to meter and restrict Boyd’s usage since he’s become the rotation ace and an absolutely crucial component to the team’s success.

For now, the Cubs’ only strategy with the 34-year-old is to cross their fingers and hope for continued good health.

The rest of the rotation

Chicago’s other top pitcher, Shota Imanaga, has already been out of commission for several weeks with a hamstring strain, although he has emerged as, perhaps, the sturdiest of the rotation pieces.

Also in the starting rotation mix is Jameson Taillon, who is currently on the IL, coming back from a right calf strain. Javier Assad, who has missed the entire season with oblique issues, is beginning a rehab assignment in Triple-A and could be back, along with Taillon, in mid-August. Another starter, veteran swing man Colin Rea, has been up and down all season. Then, there’s sophomore Ben Brown, who, despite solid potential, has been mostly down.

So, in summary, the Cubs are rolling into the month of August and into the deep end of the pennant race with eight potential starters in a 5-man rotation– five of them with injury or durability issues and two with performance issues.

Not getting at least one more sure-thing starter at the trade deadline has put the Cubs in a tough spot. They’re going to need a whole lot of savvy managerial maneuvering and a great amount of good luck when it comes to a starting rotation already ranked in the bottom half of baseball.

However, at this point, one can only hope for the best.

The post Chicago Cubs’ post-deadline starting rotation: Hopes, prayers, and pitch counts appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs sent Ben Brown down to Triple-A after he gave up eight earned runs in an 8-2 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on June 23. Nearly a month later, Brown gave up seven earned runs in his first appearance in the majors since he was sent down to Iowa.

On Monday night, Brown gave up seven runs on seven hits and two home runs in 4.0 innings pitched. He added four strikeouts in the Cubs’ 12-4 loss to the Kansas City Royals in front of 38,117 fans at Wrigley Field.

The loss knocked the Cubs to second place in the NL Central, one game behind the Milwaukee Brewers. Brown slipped to 4-7 on the season with a 6.48 ERA in 17 appearances and 83.1 innings pitched.  H’s given up a total of 60 earned runs.

Ben Brown knows he needs to be better

Following the game, Brown told reporters that he needed to be better in the future if he wanted more chances to pitch for the Cubs in the majors.

“Whatever opportunity is ahead of me, I have to be better to earn that,” Brown said via Marquee Sports Media.

"Whatever opportunity is ahead of me, I have to be better to earn that."

Ben Brown reflects on his outing. pic.twitter.com/gpqg3aiXtC

— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) July 22, 2025

Chicago Cubs fans are upset with Brown

Many Cubs fans on social media believe the team should not give him another chance this season.

“Ugh!!! I mean, if the Cubs aren’t gonna trade him- put send him down to get better?” wrote a fan.

“You don’t have another chance. You should have done well when you had the chance,” posted another.

“Brown belongs in Iowa for good,” believes a poster.

“It’s an opportunity to gas up and drive back to Iowa. I wanted to bring somebody up to start these bullpen games but not this batting practice pitcher. See ya kid!” wrote a fan.

“Ben was good but Kelly can’t be the catcher. Reese is a better defensive catcher. McGuire knows how to call a game. We need pitching but Ben needs a real catcher,” argued a fan in Brown’s defense.

“Seems like a good dude. I just wish he was a good pitcher lol,” posted another.

For More Chicago Sports:

Follow me on Twitter at @JordanSig, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Jordan Sigler via email at jordanmsigler@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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The Chicago Cubs, coming out of the All-Star break, have performed well, taking two of three games from the Boston Red Sox. The Cubs now welcome the Kansas City Royals for a three-game series, which could be a tryout for some of the Royals players, with a few potentially getting traded in the coming weeks.

The Cubs should be one of the more active teams at the Trade Deadline, with Jed Hoyer signaling he’s willing to go all in and trade anyone for a piece that puts them over the top. With the Trade Deadline a little over a week away, and the Cubs needing to add a top-tier starter, the Cubs are recalling Ben Brown from Triple-A to eat some innings until they add that piece.

Chicago Cubs recall Ben Brown before their series with the Kansas City Royals

The Cubs needed to find someone to start on Wednesday, as they had listed as TBA coming into the series, and are already going with a bullpen game tonight. The Cubs appear to have found a solution to that problem, with Cubs beat writer Patrick Mooney reporting that the Cubs have recalled right-hander Ben Brown from Triple-A and optioned right-handed reliever Ethan Roberts to Triple-A.

“The Cubs recalled Ben Brown and optioned Ethan Roberts to Triple-A Iowa ahead of tonight’s game against the Royals at Wrigley Field.”

The Cubs recalled Ben Brown and optioned Ethan Roberts to Triple-A Iowa ahead of tonight’s game against the Royals at Wrigley Field.

— Patrick Mooney (@PJ_Mooney) July 21, 2025

Brown had been optioned to Triple-A in late June after failing to prove he could go deep into games. The Cubs’ main priority for Brown while down at Iowa was to build confidence in throwing his changeup more. Brown has a great four-seam fastball and knuckle curve, but needs to show hitters an offspeed pitch to keep them honest. In two starts at Triple-A Brown pitched to a 1-0 record with a 1.00 ERA in nine innings.

Roberts has been up and down for the Cubs this season and has a 1-0 record with a 6.00 ERA in 10 appearances.

Browns status for the rest of the season

Brown will likely be the Cubs’ starter for Wednesday’s game, as they need someone to eat innings with today being a bullpen game. Brown is getting a second chance to show if he can be an effective starter and if he has made the necessary adjustments the Cubs had asked him to make.

Brown could be a wildcard for the Cubs moving forward. He could be an effective fifth starter if he made those adjustments, or at the very least, a decent bullpen option. In 16 games (14 starts), Brown has a 4-6 record with a 6.13 ERA in 79.1 innings.

The post Chicago Cubs make two roster moves before series with the Royals: Report appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs currently sit atop the NL Central Division, but they just can’t shake the red-hot Milwaukee Brewers, who (as of this writing) remain just one game behind.

And not only do the Cubs have to stave off the rise of the Brewers, they also have to fortify their roster in a bid to be even more playoff-ready should they make the postseason.

With that in mind, the Cubs front office, headed by president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer, is said to be aggressively pursuing deals prior to the July 31 MLB trade deadline.

The Chicago Cubs trade deadline wish list

Heading up Chicago’s wish list is a strong top-of-rotation starter to bolster a rotation that has been battered and strained by injury. Right below that, however, is an impact third baseman to replace rookie Matt Shaw, who has become a lineup liability.

Rumors have been flying about the Cubs possibly pursuing a deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks for right-handed elite power hitter Eugenio Suarez.

The idea of adding the bat of Suarez to an already potent Cubs lineup is making fans giddy, and rightfully so. A league-topping offense acquiring a hitter on pace to smack 50+ home runs would be insane.

Eugenio Suarez? But for how much?

But what would such a deal look like? What would the Cubs have to give up to acquire the free agency-bound Suarez as a 3-month rental?

The Diamondbacks, with a crop of veterans collectively headed into free agency this offseason, have been declared sellers by MLB insider Bob Nightengale, per his sources:

“The Arizona Diamondbacks, muddling along around .500, will definitely be sellers at the trade deadline according to rival executives, believing they have no choice if they want to compete in 2026.

‘I don’t see a world they don’t sell,’ one GM said. ‘They have so many holes, and so many free agents.’”

The problem for the Cubs is that they will have to compete with teams like the New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, and even the division rival Brewers for Suarez. The deadline competition will raise the asking price considerably.

Arizona is said to be looking for young, high-end pitchers (or pitching prospects), something which currently is in limited supply within the Cubs’ farm system.

Without the competition, the Cubs could probably get by with a package of lesser prospects for Suarez. But in this seller’s market, acquiring the All-Star power hitter could mean parting ways with at least one of the system’s top pitching prospects such as Jaxon Wiggins or the recently reactivated Brandon Birdsell, along with another top 25 prospect.

Other plans, other costs

There’s also been talk that Chicago has discussed a multi-player deal with the Diamondbacks that might include right-handed free agency-bound starting pitchers Zac Gallen or Merrill Kelly.

If that turns out to be the case, Wiggins AND Birdsell could be sent to Arizona or, possibly, one of the two, along with a package of prospects

Also according to reports, though, the Cubs are pursuing non-rental trade targets with years of team control. In that case, Arizona might be out of the picture and the Cubs trade bait may shift from pitching prospects to top position player prospects, with young, fringe major league assets like Ben Brown in the mix.

The Cubs have a deep farm system, especially at the higher levels, and it’s expected that some of their top young assets will definitely be traded in this pursuit of a deep 2025 playoff run.

Whatever the case, though, the days leading up to the trade deadline should be interesting ones.

The post Chicago Cubs: What would a trade for Eugenio Suarez cost the Cubs? appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs are back from the All-Star break, done with the draft, and now ready to get down to the business of filling roster holes for what they hope to be a deep playoff run.

With the July 31 trade deadline approaching, buzz is everywhere regarding an aggressive Cubs front office and the moves they might make.

The latest buzz centers around the team’s efforts to get the best out of a shaky seller’s market by picking up multiple roster needs from one team.

One-stop trade deadline shopping for the Chicago Cubs?

Matthew Trueblood of North Side Baseball is reporting that, according to his sources, Chicago has been discussing multi-player deals with the Oakland A’s and Arizona Diamondbacks and that they are open to other outside the box trades involving multiple pickups.

Per Trueblood:

“They’ve already begun engaging teams about trades that would break out of the traditional box for July moves, by doing some one-stop shopping and/or by swapping current big-leaguers out for others.

Sources familiar with talks identified the Diamondbacks and the Athletics as teams with whom the Cubs have discussed multi-player deals in which they would check off more than one box on their shopping list.”

A’s, Diamondbacks, and others?

When it comes to the last-place A’s, the possible names of interest would be starter Luis Severino, reliever Mason Miller, and infielder Luis Urias.

The 31-year-old Severino sports an ugly 5.16 ERA in 20 starts this season, but a good deal of that ugliness may be coming from the A’s temporary move to Sacramento and the poor conditions of that park. Severino’s road ERA this season is a much more palatable 3.04. Cubs president Jed Hoyer may see him as one of those players whose numbers don’t tell the full tale and who would respond favorably to a change of atmosphere. The 10-year veteran’s contract might be a bit of a catch as he’s making $20 million this year and set to make $25 million the next, with a $22 million player option for 2027.

Miller is a stud of a reliever whose 4.04 ERA is not as damning as it would appear. Half of his earned runs allowed this season come from two poor outing in May. Excluding those two performances, his season ERA is 2.09 and he hasn’t allowed an earned run since June 20. Once believed to be an untouchable asset, the A’s are reportedly softening on the possibility of dealing the 26-year-old, who is under team control for four more (arbitration-eligible) years.

Urias, a free agent at the end of this season, would be picked up as a third baseman, but can also play second base and shortstop. He’d be part of a deal as a replacement for Matt Shaw or, at the very least, as one more puzzle piece for third base.

As for the Diamondbacks, the Cubs’ targets are much more obvious.

Third baseman Eugenio Suarez would bring an elite right-handed power bat to the already potent Cubs lineup. The All-Star slugger is eligible for free agency at the end of this season.

The other Arizona targets are starting pitchers Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly, who will both become free agents this offseason. Kelly is having a better season than Gallen, with an ERA more than two points lower (3.34 vs. 5.40). Both right-handers, however, could prove to be quality assets in a strained Cubs starting rotation.

The A’s or D-backs trade packages differ in that Arizona is offering nothing but rentals, whereas Oakland could be sending back two pitchers under team control beyond 2025.

The Pittsburgh Pirates, Kansas City Royals, and Minnesota Twins could also be in the mix when it comes to one-stop trade partners.

The asking price

In such a large multi-player deal, though, it’s likely that the Cubs would have to trade away a field-ready (or near field-ready) asset as well as prospects. Could Matt Shaw, Ben Brown, or even Cade Horton be part of such a deal, along with a top prospect such as Owen Caissie, Moises Ballesteros, or Kevin Alcantara?

Things should get interesting over the next several days.

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The Chicago Cubs have been declared “all-in” when it comes to picking up talent at the July 31 trade deadline, ahead of what they hope to be a deep playoff run. Reports have been rampant about the team’s aggressive mindset in pursuing deals and kicking the tires on possible acquisitions.

Chief among the team’s needs is starting pitching.

The Cubs lost ace Justin Steele for the season due to elbow injury in early April. Projected fifth starter Javier Assad was injured in spring training and has yet to throw a competitive pitch this season. Currently, Jameson Taillon is on the shelf with a strained right calf and might be out until mid-August.

And, although the remainder of the staff– Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga, Colin Rea, Cade Horton– has held together well, the reality is that the team will need at least one more high-end starter headed into a pennant race and then into the postseason.

Third base, aside from pitching, a trade deadline need for the Chicago Cubs

Meanwhile, the need for an every day third baseman has once again emerged. Top prospect Matt Shaw has failed to deliver on two separate major league runs this year and is currently hitting a beyond-meager .198.

Filling both holes in what’s expected to be a seller’s market will be a tough feat for the Chicago front office. But the team has the prospects to wheel and deal this year, as well as the apparent “win now” mindset to gamble on some big trades.

The selling Arizona Diamondbacks have what the Cubs need

Bob Nightengale of USA Today, per his sources, has declared that the Arizona Diamondbacks will be sellers at this year’s deadline and, on the surface, they seem to be an ideal one-stop shopping spot for the Cubs.

Per Nightengale:

“The Arizona Diamondbacks, muddling along around .500, will definitely be sellers at the trade deadline according to rival executives, believing they have no choice if they want to compete in 2026.

‘I don’t see a world they don’t sell,’ one GM said. ‘They have so many holes, and so many free agents.’

They are making starters Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly, All-Star third baseman Eugenio Suárez and first baseman Josh Naylor available. They are all free agents after the season. The D-backs are searching for young pitching in return.”

Although Chicago’s primary need is pitching, how could any Cubs fan not swoon at the idea of adding the right-handed power bat of Eugenio Suarez, who currently has 31 home runs, to an already-potent Cubs offense– even if it’s just as a 3-month rental? The thought of trading for the slugger has been swirling around for a bit.

Defensively, Suarez is not ideal. But adding an elite-power right-handed bat in the middle of the lineup to help against left-handed pitching would definitely offset a bit of stiff defensive play from the 33-year-old.

When it comes to starting pitching, either Gallen or Kelly would be welcomed additions to the Cubs rotation, finding a sweet spot between lefties Boyd and Imanaga.

The asking price

The question, though, will center around how much the Diamondbacks will want in return for their free agency-eligible assets and, conversely, how much the Cubs would be willing to give up for high-end rentals.

According to Nightengale, Arizona wants young pitching in return, something not exactly in abundance within the Cubs’ farm system.

Jaxon Wiggins is one name that stands out at the Double-A level. Ben Brown, who was sent down to Triple-A for re-tooling after inconsistent performance in the Cubs’ big league rotation, has great appeal as a big talent with tremendous upside who may be just a tweak or two from being fully actualized.

However, expect a fierce bidding war for the Diamondbacks put on the block. It’s never been the Cubs way to overpay and that might especially be the case for rental players.

Time will tell how everything plays out prior to July 31.

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The Chicago Cubs sent Ben Brown to Iowa on Tuesday after the starting pitcher gave up eight runs on nine hits in 5.0 innings pitched in the team’s 8-2 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night.

Brown, 25, could use the rest after being asked to pitch the third-most innings for the Cubs in 2025 at 79.1 innings in 16 outings. The right-hander appeared in just 15 games and 55.1 innings in 2024 as he dealt with a neck injury.

Whether it’s fatigue or another issue, Brown has struggled with the starting role in 2025. He has a 4-6 record and a 6.13 ERA this season. He has shown signs of promise, recording 91 strikeouts, tied for the 25th-most in the MLB.

The Chicago Cubs asked Ben Brown to make a change in Iowa

On Tuesday, Craig Counsell told reporters what they expect from Brown in Triple-A this summer. Per Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune, Counsell wants Brown to work on his changeup in Iowa.

“The Cubs will ask him to keep honing his changeup while he’s in Iowa, ‘but it’s not the reason, I’ll be clear with that’ for Brown’s struggles and demotion,” Montemurro wrote.

“It’s just another piece of his development and something that he’s going to continue to work on because it is still relatively new and is something that he can improve on and, frankly, use more,” Counsell said.

More help to the pitching staff should help Brown

Brown has only used the change-up 4.3% of his pitches, opting to rely on a steady combination of fastball and curveballs. While that leads to a high number of strikeouts, it’s also leading to a high number of hits. Brown has given up a team-high 94 hits this season.

The Cubs are expected to trade for a starting pitcher soon. With Shota Imanaga returning to the mound on Thursday, the Cubs should be in a better position for Brown when he receives the call to rejoin the majors.

Hopefully, Brown can execute his changeup more efficiently and effectively in less pressure-filled situations than he had to deal with earlier this season on a shorthanded pitching staff.

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The Chicago Cubs are facing some tough times as they go through their first real rough patch of this so-far better-than-expected 2025 season.

Losers in four of their last five games, the defeats have highlighted the team’s weak spots in both the starting rotation and the bullpen.

In Monday’s 8-2 loss to the division rival St. Louis Cardinals, rotation concerns took the front and center as Ben Brown had another bad outing, giving up 8 earned runs (on four 2-run home runs) in 5 innings.

Before that, the bullpen weaknesses were spotlighted as the relief corps had posted a scary 8.41 ERA in the five games prior to Monday’s.

Chicago Cubs pitching struggles

The pitching struggles have taken the wind from the sails of a Cubs team that seemed to be cruising to its first postseason appearance since 2020. Once atop the NL Central Division with a fairly comfortable 6.5 game lead, Chicago is now just 3.5 games ahead of both the Cardinals and the Milwaukee Brewers. And if the Cards can pull off the sweep in St. Louis, the Cubs would be down to a half-game lead.

It would be understandable if fans began to panic, at least a little.

But the team will be getting some pitching help soon enough.

Help is on the way

Lefty co-ace Shota Imanaga, who’s been out of commission with a hamstring injury since early May, is set to start Thursday’s game in St. Louis after a nearly flawless set of rehab appearances.

“He’s ready to go,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters on Monday. “He did a full rehab. Everything that happened on rehab was according to schedule. The performance was very good, and all the important data we look at was good.”

Although it’s not expected to be a full start on Thursday, having Imanaga back into a rotation that appears to be straining at the seams is a major positive.

On the bullpen side of things, former Cub Michael Fulmer came back from a stint in Boston and in the Cubs minor league system to deliver 2 shutout innings on Monday. It remains to be seen if Fulmer is a full-time addition or just passing through as Counsell continues to shuffle arms in and out of a taxed pen.

Hodge is back with the team

To confuse matters just a bit, Porter Hodge is with the team in St. Louis, despite still being on the IL.

Per Cubs beat reporter Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times:

“Porter Hodge is in St. Louis but still on the IL. ‘We’ll figure out when to activate him,’ Counsell said.”

Hodge has been on the IL since May 18, dealing with an oblique strain that then morphed into a hip issue. The 24-year-old had two stellar rehab outings for the Triple-A Iowa Cubs before a disastrous third outing where he gave up 7 runs (6 earned) in just a third of an inning.

Apparently, that final rehab outing wasn’t enough to discourage the Cubs from bringing him back to the major league team and to a bullpen that could use some fresh arms.

The return of Imanaga and imminent return of Hodge will make for some big decisions in the very immediate future.

It’s widely believed that the struggling Brown will be sent back to Triple-A to fine tune his game.

From there, it’s anyone’s guess as to how the Cubs plan to manage their roster, especially considering that it’s expected the team will acquire a pitcher or two before the July 31 trade deadline. Veteran Ryan Pressly, who lost his closer gig to Daniel Palencia, may be on the outs. Most recent call-up, Fulmer, could also be on the bubble.

Stay tuned for big (pitching) moves ahead.

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The Chicago Cubs are coming off a tough loss to one of their divisional rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals, who managed to score eight runs against them. Yesterday’s loss was the Cubs’ fourth loss in five games, where they had lost by a score of five runs or more.

All eight runs came against Cubs right-hander Ben Brown, who hasn’t been able to put things together this season. Brown has struggled through multiple starts this season, and it’s starting to become time for the Cubs to decide whether or not Brown can stick as a starter.

That decision may have to wait, as the Cubs have decided to do something else with Brown to see if they can fix what is causing him to struggle.

The Chicago Cubs make a tough decision on Ben Brown

The Cubs have given Brown multiple chances to figure things out and pull himself out of this hole, but he has failed to do so to this point, which is why the Cubs, according to Marquee Sports Network, decided to option the 25-year-old right-hander to Triple-A Iowa. Browns optioning clears a space on the 26-man roster for right-hander Porter Hodge to get activated off the injured list.

“The Cubs optioned Ben Brown to Triple-A Iowa.

Porter Hodge has been activated off the IL.”

The Cubs optioned Ben Brown to Triple-A Iowa.

Porter Hodge has been activated off the IL. pic.twitter.com/yPFQyN7RoZ

— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) June 24, 2025

Brown, in 16 games (14 starts), has a record of 4-6 with an ERA over 6.00 (6.13) and has a 1.34 WHIP in 79.1 innings. In his last three games, Brown has given up 16 earned runs in 15.2 innings, while also allowing seven walks, which is something to be concerned about.

As for Hodge, he will be making his first appearance in a big league game since going on the injured list back on May 20. Hodge had struggled before going on the IL with an oblique strain, going 2-1 with a 5.12 ERA in 21 games.

Brown needs to figure out a third pitch if he wants to continue being a starter

Brown getting optioned isn’t a shock given his struggles, and with both Hodge and Shota Imanaga coming off the IL this week it was inevitable. Now that he’ll get a long run at Triple-A, Brown can use that time to build up his confidence in throwing an effective changeup, which he’ll need to return to the big leagues.

Brown is a two-pitch pitcher, having a great four-seam fastball and a nasty knuckle curve, but Brown lacks an off-speed pitch or a pitch that runs into lefties and away from righties. Brown needs at least a decent changeup to get hitters off his other two pitches, if he can develop that, Brown should be back up in the big leagues this season.

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Ben Brown’s ERA jumped to 6.13 following the Chicago Cubs‘ 8-2 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night, his third loss in four outings. Brown gave up nine hits, four home runs, and eight earned runs to the Cardinals’ batters.

Fans on social media were calling for Brown to be sent to Iowa to work out some kinks. The Cubs are hitting some turbulence in June, losing four of their last five games, and patience for a developing pitching staff being asked to compensate for injuries to Justin Steele and Shota Imanaga is running low.

Craig Counsell needs more from Ben Brown

Fortunately for Chicago, Imanaga is returning to the mound on Thursday, which could open up an opportunity to send Brown to Iowa. Amid the upcoming decision for Craig Counsell, the Cubs manager stressed that the team needs Brown to eat up more outs.

“You have to get 15, 18 outs in a game, it’s difficult, and it’s hard to see now, but there is growth happening,” Counsell said via Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune. “It’s hard to like the growth when there’s struggles going on, but that’s where the best stuff comes from. So we’ve got to keep working on it and improve the quality of the execution.

“Ben’s got a kind of unique arsenal for a starter, and early in games, it can overpower people and then as they calibrate to it requires him to be a little better with the execution. And if he’s not, then they’re picking a pitch, and if it’s in the wrong spot, there’s going to be problems, and that’s kind of what we saw tonight.”

Brown understands the Chicago Cubs might send Brown down

Montemurro believes the Cubs might soon send Brown to Triple-A to “recalibrate” before the team needs him in the fall. Brown understands Iowa is now a possibility.

“I mean, stuff like that’s near the back of your mind,” Brown said of going to Triple-A. “Obviously, when guys show up in the locker room, they need spots to pitch. It’s hard, but ultimately, it doesn’t matter. I should go do my job and I didn’t do that tonight.”

Brown, 25, has been asked to pitch the third-most innings for the Cubs this season at 79.1, only trailing Matthew Boyd (85.2) and Jameson Taillon (86.2). Unfortunately, Brown has given 54 earned runs, the most on the team by 17.

Brown also has thrown the most strikeouts on the roster with 91, which is tied for 23rd in the MLB. The Cubs don’t need to give up on the promising right-hander, but he needs a break before he’s asked to shoulder a bigger burden in the postseason.

Counsell believes Brown’s current struggles will help him find the “best stuff” in his arsenal.

“It’s hard to see now, but there is growth happening,” Counsell said via Marquee Sports Network. “It’s hard to like the growth when the struggles going on. That’s where the best stuff comes from. We just got to keep working on it and improve the quality of the execution and keep going.”

For More Chicago Sports:

Follow me on Twitter at @JordanSig, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Jordan Sigler via email at jordanmsigler@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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On Sunday, Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell faced heavy criticism for keeping Colin Rea on the mound until the starting pitcher surrendered seven earned runs in a 14-6 loss to the Seattle Mariners.

On Monday, Counsell faced some heat for resting first baseman Michael Busch, batting Dansby Swanson at cleanup, and starting Ben Brown to start a crucial four-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals, who sit 4.5 games back from the Cubs for first place in the NL Central.

The Chicago Cubs have another bad outing

Counsell sent Brown a warning following his performance on June 11 when he gave up six runs in a 7-2 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. On Monday, the right-hander gave up nine hits and eight earned runs in 5.0 innings of work against the Cardinals.

Brown, 25, entered the contest with a 5.57 ERA.

Cubs fans want Ben Brown in Iowa

Fans on social media demanded Brown be sent to Iowa after another lousy outing.

“It seemed possible to begin with, but have to think Ben Brown is going to Iowa to try to improve with a third+ pitch and general “pitching” execution. Such a thin margin at this level and he really pays for his mistakes, while having clear flashes too,” wrote a fan.

“Time for Ben Brown to head back to Iowa. Good velocity & decent curveball, but can’t locate his pitches & loses focus during innings. Cubs have to make a roster move when Shota is activated. Let Brown work on his issues in Triple A,” posted another.

“Brown: Nice guy, nice hair, bad pitcher. Sorry bud but at least Des Moines is nice this time of year,” suggested a poster.

“Brown stinks. Been bad, stayed bad. Hard to be a successful starter with only 2 pitches. Needs a reset at Iowa to develop another pitch or become an asset in the bullpen,” argued a fan.

“Brown needs to be on the first flight to Iowa after this game,” commented a fan.

“brown experiment needs a time out, bullpen or Iowa,” posted another.

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Follow me on Twitter at @JordanSig, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Jordan Sigler via email at jordanmsigler@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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The Chicago Cubs may sit atop the NL Central Division with a 6.5 game lead over the second-place Milwaukee Brewers as of this writing, but no lead is secure in mid-June.

There’s a lot of baseball yet to be played and a lot that could happen between now and the real heat of a pennant race. The grind of the late summer months, especially, separates the contenders from the pretenders.

Usually, the determining factor in who makes postseason play is pitching.

Chicago Cubs not resting easy with first place lead

And that’s why the Cubs and their fans are not resting easy with a fairly comfortable first-place lead and a team that has looked postseason-special throughout the early part of this 2025 campaign.

It’s not that the team has “bad” pitching. The bullpen has been turned around from a liability to a top-tier asset. The starting rotation has been remarkably solid for a crew dealing with the loss of their ace (Justin Steele) for the season, their co-ace (Shota Imanaga) for a substantial period, and their projected fifth starter (Javier Assad).

However, Cubs pitching has labored pretty hard to keep themselves a middle-of-the-pack crew and, with little margin for error and the dog days of summer on the horizon, the fear is that the balancing act will fail at some point.

The good news is that Imanaga, who is set to make another rehab appearance on Friday, appears to be close to a big league return.

The other good news is that the Cubs have a good amount of trade capital and, reportedly, a willingness to wheel and deal before the July 31 trade deadline in pursuit of a high-end starter.

Re-stocking the starting rotation

The addition of Imanaga and a trade acquisition, though, means that space will have to be cleared in the current five-man rotation.

Matthew Boyd and Jameson Taillon, the anchors of the rotation amid the run of injuries, won’t be going anywhere. So, that would leave three men competing for one remaining rotation spot. Veteran Colin Rea has great value as a versatile swing man in the bullpen.

23-year-old rookie top pitching prospect Cade Horton, who has been consistently solid since being called up from Triple-A when Imanaga got hurt, looks to be the favorite to land the final starter slot.

That would leave Ben Brown as the apparent odd man out.

The 25-year-old Brown, who has shown flashes of brilliance throughout his two-year major league career, has been wildly inconsistent this season with a 5.57 ERA through 15 appearances. But a Cubs team serious about a playoff run can’t afford to have wild inconsistency.

The prevailing wisdom is that Brown may be sent down to Triple-A when/if the starting rotation gets re-stocked. There’s also the thought that he may be moved to the bullpen.

But a third option may be the most beneficial to this 2025 Cubs team.

Trading Ben Brown

The Cubs could opt to trade Brown.

Now, no team wants to trade away a 25-year-old pitcher who has shown flashes of elite-level ability. But the return they could get for Brown might make a trade too enticing to overlook.

Every single team selling at the deadline would love to get back a young player who can be an immediate asset at the major league level. Every single seller’s coaching staff would love to get their hands on someone like Brown to offer a tweak or modification in hopes of getting him to be his fully-actualized self.

For the Cubs, dealing Brown would also cut back on the prospect haul needed to land a high-end starter in a trade. They could probably land a front-line arm for just Brown and a lower-tier prospect.

Trading Brown would probably only make sense if the Cubs could acquire a pitcher under team control beyond this year, such as a Sandy Alcantara, but there don’t appear to be many of those who will be available this deadline (although the front office could get creative and maybe pull off a 3-team trade for a high-end arm with years remaining on his contract).

Such an idea is worth considering, anyway. Especially if the Cubs want to hold on to their top prospects– possibly for a second headline-making trade at some point.

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With Shota Imanaga out of the Chicago Cubs due to a hamstring injury and Justin Steele gone for the season because of an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery, the team has had to ask pitchers like Ben Brown and Cade Horton to step up and pitch extra innings before the midway point of the season.

Thanks to an incredible offense, the Cubs have done a good job of navigating their injuries, earning a 6.5-game lead on the Milwaukee Brewers for first place in the NL Central with a 45-28 record.

The results have been mixed for Brown, who has posted a 5.57 ERA and 4-5 record this season. In 74.1 innings pitched, Brown has given up the most runs on the team with 46 runs, 14 more than Jameson Tallion, who has surrendered the second most runs.

The Chicago Cubs plan to have conversations about resting pitchers

During an appearance on ESPN’s “Kap & J.Hood” on Wednesday, Cubs president Jed Hoyer said the team needed to have “conversations” about how many innings pitchers are being asked to throw amid the numerous injuries to the rotation and bullpen.

“It’s been a kind of all hands on deck when Steele went down early, and then Shota went down, and Javier Assad’s been down all year, and so our starting pitching depth kinda of took a bite early on, and our hope is that both through getting healthy and then, potentially (through) the trade deadline, that we can we can sort of add some depth to that,” Hoyer said.

The Cubs plan to have conversations about Ben Brown

Hoyer named Brown, Horton, and Matthew Boyd as pitchers the Cubs will have conversations about resting more when the team makes a trade.

“But there’s no question that conversations about innings are going to have to happen, just making sure that everyone can get a little bit of rest and think through that,” Hoyer said. “And we can’t do that right now, but certainly we’re aware of Ben Brown and Cade (Horton) and (Matthew) Boyd, they made eight starts last year. So we’re going to have to think through those things at different times during the year.”

“And it is part of the job. It’s a it is a marathon. You can’t run your team on a dead sprint for the first three or four months. If you do that, you’re, at some point, you’re going to run out of gas. So we do have to monitor all those things, both in the bullpen and in the rotation, and frankly, even with position players, trying to make sure that they get days off and that they’re still fresh.”

It’ll be interesting to see if the “conversations” about Brown mean he’ll go back to the bullpen instead of handling starting pitcher duties. He’s struggled early in games as a starter, but has been more effective later in outings.

Chicago ranks ninth in the MLB with a 3.56 ERA, not bad for being without two starting pitchers for much of the season. While the Cubs have been aided by Brown, Horton, and Boyd, they need rest so they can be effective in the postseason.

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Follow me on Twitter at @JordanSig, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Jordan Sigler via email at jordanmsigler@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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The Chicago Cubs starting rotation has taken it on the chin so far in this 2025 campaign.

They lost lefty ace Justin Steele for the season in early April due to elbow injury. Lefty co-ace Shota Imanaga was lost about a month later with a hamstring injury from which he’s just starting to emerge. Projected fifth starter Javier Assad was lost in spring training with an oblique issue that has kept him from throwing a single competitive pitch this season.

So, losing 60% of your starting rotation means that some unexpected heroes would have to step up and fill the holes or things would go completely sideways.

Matthew Boyd and Jameson Taillon have been the rotation’s anchors in the wake of the injuries. Veteran swing man Colin Rea has put in a number of good performances. Rookie Cade Horton has stepped up and gone from top prospect to rotation asset in recent outings. And, up until his last appearance, sophomore Ben Brown looked to have righted what appeared to be his sinking ship.

Ben Brown Slips Backward

On Wednesday, against the Philadelphia Phillies, however, Brown’s patched-up ship seemed to have started taking on water again.

The 25-year-old Brown would give up 6 earned runs in 5.2 innings– 3 of those runs coming in the first inning, in an apparent return to his first inning mental block.

On May 31, against the Cincinnati Reds, Cubs manager Craig Counsell used a first inning starter, Drew Pomeranz, to start off Brown’s game. The young pitcher would respond by delivering 6 shutout innings , allowing just 1 hit and 1 walk along the way, while striking out 9.

Brown’s next performance was a solid one against the Detroit Tigers, giving up 2 earned runs in 7 innings, sans opener.

Then, the wheels fell back off the cart against the Phillies.

Some are calling for Counsell to make first-inning openers for Brown a regular thing. Others are pushing for the Cubs to move on from Brown if he can’t get his game in order.

The Chicago Cubs’ Crutch

Whatever the case, David Haugh of the Mully & Haugh show on 670 The Score believes that Counsell and the Cubs, by starting this first-inning opener strategy, have given Brown the kind of crutch that may hobble his development as a fully-self-actualized starter.

“I would be reluctant to use him again without an opener,” Haugh said. “I think what we have created, or the Cubs have created or contributed to, is this idea that guys need that one inning to adjust or adapt or to tone things down internally.

“Whether it’s true or not, or whether we think it’s valid or not, whether we think we long for the good old days when pitchers would just go out and give you six or seven, it doesn’t matter because I think the Cubs have maybe Ben Brown in his head believing he’s better with an opener.”

You Have To Keep The Crutch Now

Haugh also argues, though, that the Cubs can’t afford to pull that crutch away from Brown right now.

“He doesn’t have to worry about the pomp and the circumstance of any kind of opening the game, and any kind of anxiety that he’s found difficult to manage and start with command,” Haugh asserted. “That’s what I would do. And I would do it next time out, because you can’t afford to waste another start.”

The reality is that the Cubs are, indeed, in a spot where they can’t afford to waste starts. They have to hold things together however they can until Imanaga comes back at full capacity and until some high-end rotation help is found before the trade deadline.

Until then, crutch or not, the team has to do whatever works in the moment.

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The Chicago Cubs return to Wrigley for a series with the Pittsburgh Pirates, which kicks off a 10-game home stand. This home stand will test the Cubs’ endurance, as they haven’t had a day off in almost two weeks.

In the next few weeks, the Cubs will have to make a few roster decisions, as both Shota Imanaga and Porter Hodgewill be ready to come off the injured list and rejoin the team. Having Imanaga return to the rotation is sorely needed, as it has felt deficient ever since he tweaked his hamstring.

The decision for the Cubs, barring another injury, will prove tough, as someone will need to get optioned to make room on the roster for Imanaga and Hodges’ return.

The Chicago Cubs could option struggling right-hander, as Imanaga and Hodge prepare to return from the IL

One player the Cubs could look to option to Triple-A is right-hander Ben Brown, who has not been able to replicate the same success he saw last season. Brown’s sophomore season has proven to be a struggle, as the 25-year-old has a 3-5 record with a 5.71 ERA in 14 games (12 starts), with the Cubs deciding to use an opener for one of his starts, given how much he’s struggled in the first inning.

In the first inning this season (12 games), Brown has a 10.50 ERA and has allowed 14 earned runs and three home runs during the first inning of ballgames. The complete opposite happens when he appears in the second and third innings, as he has a 0.69 ERA for the second inning and a 1.38 ERA in the third before seeing it jump back up to close to a 10.00 ERA (9.95).

Brown’s issue on why he appears to be struggling so much as a starter is not having a third pitch to get hitters off his four-seam fastball and his knuckle curve. So far this season, Brown has used his four-seamer 57.1% of the time and his knuckle curve 38.8%, with only throwing his changeup 4.1% of the time, which comes out to 48 pitches.

For Brown to be an effective starter, his usage rate of his pitches has to change, or else these struggles will continue to happen. That’s why sending Brown down to Iowa could be beneficial, as he needs to build confidence in throwing his changeup more, or have him transition to being a multi-inning reliever, with how effective his fastball and knuckle curve play up in short bursts.

Brown could be an effective bullpen arm for the Cubs down the stretch

Since Brown has shown an inability to trust and use a third pitch to be an effective starter, a move to the bullpen could be in order. The Cubs need bullpen arms, and with how well Brown’s stuff plays in one to two inning increments, he could be the piece the Cubs’ have looked for to help fill out the bullpen.

Brown moving to the bullpen and finding success could help the Cubs’ trade deadline plans, as the Cubs could then focus all their efforts on acquiring a high-end starter. The Cubs are still two weeks away from having Imanaga coming back, so Brown could get another shot to redeem himself. His next start should be Tuesday, June 17, when the Cubs play the Milwaukee Brewers.

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The Chicago Cubs‘ hopes of winning their three-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies were effectively smashed when starting pitcher Ben Brown surrendered three earned runs in the first inning. Brown gave up eight hits and six runs in 5.2 innings pitched.

The Cubs ultimately lost the game 7-2 in front of 42,660 fans at Citizens Bank Park. In their three-series road trip, Chicago dropped their last two series to the Detroit Tigers and Phillies. Offense had been an issue before Wednesday, but Brown’s performance as a starter didn’t give the offense a reason to believe.

The Chicago Cubs are worried about executing

Brown has struggled with the first inning of games for much of the season, prompting Cubs manager Craig Counsell to put together “bullpen games” on days when Brown was set to be in the rotation. Following Wednesday’s loss, Counsell had a warning for Brown about his career in the majors.

“It’s just execution,” Counsell said of what Brown is struggling with, via Marquee Sports Network. “I mean, we see him, clearly has the stuff to be successful in the league. But there’s also, that’s a fine line, and if you’re not sharp, and if you’re giving hitters free pitches, then you’re not executing, it’s difficult to survive and to get through lineups without giving up runs.

“He did get 17 outs today, and that was important for the bullpen, very important for the bullpen. And so there was some fighting there that was important for the team. But, you know, he just wasn’t crisp. It just wasn’t crisp today.”

Ben Brown’s inconsistency is a problem

Brown has a 3-5 record and a 5.71 ERA. He gave up two runs through 13 innings in his last two outings. However,  he surrendered 14 runs in nine innings during his outings against the Cincinnati Reds on May 25 and May 31.

Brown said he didn’t panic during the outing, but credited the Phillies’ offense for playing “tough” baseball.

Brown’s inconsistency as a starter is troubling, and another reason why Chicago wants to make a trade for a starting pitcher sooner rather than later.

For More Chicago Sports:

Follow me on Twitter at @JordanSig, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Jordan Sigler via email at jordanmsigler@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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The Chicago Cubs suffered a devastating blow in early May, when lefty co-ace Shota Imanaga was placed on the injured list due to a left hamstring strain.

The horrible news came just over a month after the team lost their other lefty co-ace Justin Steele for the season due to an elbow injury that required surgery.

The loss of Imanaga was especially frustrating since there seemed to be no firm time frame for his return. Recovery from hamstring injuries, in general, tends to be unpredictable. But the fact that the 31-year-old has never suffered from a lower-body injury has contributed to the uncertainty when it comes to a timeline for return.

So, the Cubs and the Japanese starter have been taking things day by day. A 25-pitch bullpen session on May 28 led to subsequent work. On June 3, it was reported that Imanaga had flown to Arizona to face live batters at the Cubs’ training complex.

Shota Imanaga’s First Rehab Outing

On Monday, the much-needed rotation asset finally pitched in an actual game situation– and it reportedly went quite well.

Pitching for the Arizona Complex League (ACL) Cubs in a game against the ACL Rockies, SI.com reports that Imanaga worked two full innings, allowing only one hit and striking out four. By accounting of the stats, it was a commanding performance in 106-degree Arizona weather and with lots of underlying uncertainty mixed up with the stress of facing his first live hitters in over a month. No pitch count was released.

The next step, of course, is to do this all over again, likely upping the pitch count a bit, before possibly moving on to an actual minor league rehab stint. Obviously, though, this depends on how Imanaga feels and how the Cubs feel about his advancement. More and more, it’s looking like manager Craig Counsell’s mid-May assessment of a major league return “well into June” will be right on the money.

But we ARE ten days into June, as of this writing, so that’s not entirely awful news.

The Chicago Cubs Starting Rotation Balancing Act

To say that the Cubs need Imanaga is an understatement. Even with the team sitting somewhat comfortably atop the NL Central Division and the starting pitching holding together admirably well, the strains of a depleted front of rotation are starting to be felt. As the season goes on and the pressure of a playoff race amps up, the team won’t be able to skate by on a strong offense and a merely competent everything else.

Offseason free agent acquisition Matthew Boyd and Jameson Taillon have picked up the front-of-rotation slack in Imanaga’s absence. Free agent signee Colin Rea has, mostly, done well in his role as a fill-in starter. Top pitching prospect Cade Horton is clearly a work in progress, but he’s also performed well enough since his big league call-up in early May. Sophomore Ben Brown, meanwhile, has put together a pair of impressive outings after a wildly inconsistent beginning to the season.

Aggressive Trade-Minded Cubs?

Maintaining a league-competitive rotation in the face of losing their two aces (and fifth starter Javier Assad before the season began) has been an impressive balancing for Counsell and his staff. But it’s a balancing act nonetheless.

It’s widely believed that the Cubs will be very aggressive in looking for pitching before the trade deadline and potential high-end trade targets have already been mentioned.

Getting Imanaga back, though, would be a huge playoff drive boost alongside whoever they can pick up in a swap.

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The Chicago Cubs may have dropped the series opener 3-1 to the Detroit Tigers on Friday, but it didn’t feel entirely like a loss.

In the shadows of defeat, in a much-hyped battle between the American League-best Tigers and National League-best Cubs, the Cubs may have witnessed the emergence of a key– and much-needed– starting rotation asset.

Ben Brown stepped up in the biggest game of his young career, less than two weeks removed from one of his worst starts ever, with talk of a demotion to the bullpen buzzing about, and pitched a damn fine game.

Ben Brown Steps Up

Allowing 2 earned runs in 7 innings pitched, with 7 strikeouts, the 25-year-old sophomore righty went pitch-for-pitch with reigning Cy Young award winner and, arguably, best pitcher in baseball, Tarik Skubal. And, if not for a couple of Cubs miscues, including a mishap at third base involving Pete Crow-Armstrong, Brown could very well have emerged victorious.

The high-pressure performance builds off another quality outing back on May 31 against the Reds, when Brown took the mound in the second inning from opener Drew Pomeranz to pitch 6 scoreless innings.

All in all, the young pitcher has a 1.38 ERA in his last two appearances, with 16 strikeouts and just 2 walks in 13 innings.

If this is, indeed, an emergence and a “coming into his own,” it couldn’t have come at a more perfect time for the Cubs, who will soon feel the strains of a starting rotation absent of 60% of its projected front five. With the loss of Justin Steele for the season and Shota Imanaga and Javier Assad for an undetermined amount of time, the team definitely needs plenty of pleasant surprises from their existing starters.

Chicago Cubs Elated With “Great” Ben Brown

So, one can definitely excuse a degree of elation coming from Friday’s loss.

“The last two starts, we’ve gotten the great Ben Brown,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters after the game. “That’s a great sign for us and a big step for us. And it’s a big boost of confidence for Ben. And a credit to him. Things had kind of gone off the rails a little bit for three or four starts and he has come back and arguably delivered his best two (starts) of the year. Really happy about that and happy for Ben.”

Brown has always shown flashes of brilliance in his work. However, injury last year resulted in a shortened season, and struggles with consistency have hurt him this season. But some recent quick-fix mental and mechanical retooling seems to have worked wonders, practically overnight.

Not only is the young talent seemingly more confident on the mound, but even his velocity is a slight tick higher. Against the Tigers, he threw the hardest pitch of his major league career– a 98.8 mph four-seam fastball to Colt Keith in the second inning.

Playoff Atmosphere

“That was definitely the most high-leverage, intense game I’ve ever pitched in my life,” Brown said after the game. “That was electric…Tons of fans. I loved it. They were into every pitch. Obviously, when Skubal’s pitching. It’s a different monster too…That’s what you kind of grow up dreaming about — going up against another ace.

“Being able to do that is really awesome, just keeping the team in the ballgame. But ultimately, I made some mistakes and we lost. We’ve got to regroup.”

“I’ve never been in the playoffs before,” Brown added. “But I can’t imagine it feeling much different than that.”

If things keep going as they are, Brown may find out what a “for real” playoff atmosphere feels like. The Cubs are hoping that their young pitcher responds then, like he responded Friday.

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The Chicago Cubs are riding high right now, carried to a somewhat comfortable first-place spot in the NL Central Division by their league-best offense.

Their formerly shaky bullpen has also solidified in recent weeks, making it one of the most reliable relief corps in baseball at the moment.

The live-or-die aspect of the team, though, may be its starting pitching.

The Cubs lost their ace Justin Steele to an elbow injury back in early April, and they won’t have him back until May-June of next year, at the earliest. Then, they lost co-ace lefty Shota Imanaga to a hamstring injury in early May. And, before all of that, Javier Assad was lost due to an oblique issue.

For those keeping tabs, that makes 60% of their starting rotation lost for all, or most, of the season thus far.

The Chicago Cubs’ Starting Rotation Has Held Together, Somewhat

Despite the losses and setbacks, the Cubs’ rotation has actually held together quite well. With Jameson Taillon and free agent acquisition Matthew Boyd leading the way, along with veteran Colin Rea, sophomore Ben Brown, and top pitching prospect Cade Horton, the staff has been outstanding in spots and iffy in others. Overall, though, they’ve been good enough not to be a liability.

But “good enough to not be a liability” won’t be good enough in the postseason or even in the late-season drive to make postseason play. The Cubs need starting pitching.

The big hope among fans is that the front office will pull off some big deal by trade deadline, bringing over a stud top-of-rotation starter for the playoff race.

The Realities Of The Deadline Trade Market

But the trade market looks like it will be pretty slim this year, especially when it comes to high-end starters. Of the few who may be available, some, like Miami’s Sandy Alcantara and Arizona’s Zac Gallen, are performing poorly and may not be desirable fits because of it. The remaining starters will require a hefty haul in return, as it will most definitely be a seller’s market.

And given that the Cubs have not been generally known for big, bold in-season trades, the team may find itself on the losing end of trade bidding wars.

So, what does that mean for Chicago’s push to bring in an ace-level starting pitcher?

They may NOT get one, at least not from the outside.

The Cubs May Have To Look Internally For Second-Half Pitching Help

The Cubs may have to settle for returning assets to be their rotation-fortifying additions. Notably, Imanaga.

According to Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network, Imanaga has flown to Arizona to face live hitters. This news comes after the news that the Japanese star had pitched back-to-back bullpen sessions without discomfort.

These are positive updates when it comes to Imanaga’s return and, with a short rehab stint in Iowa, it means that they could get him back at full strength somewhere around the all-star break.

The progress of Assad is a bit hazier, with the last word being that he had started playing catch about a week ago. Optimistically, the Cubs could hope to have him back in some capacity by late summer, just in time to help eat some innings in long relief and/or possibly spot start.

If the high-end trade market proves to be too unfriendly, the team may have to settle on a second-tier pitching addition or two for the sake of depth and to give manager Craig Counsell flexibility and maneuverability to make the most with what he has.

More and more, it appears that this might be the path the Cubs will have to take as the real playoff race takes shape. For now, everyone will just cross their fingers that Imanaga gets back, Assad can contribute something, and that no other pitchers go down to injury.

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The Chicago Cubs worked their way back into the win column, by shutting out the Cincinnati Reds 2-0 and giving the close to 40,000 fans in attendance a great showing. The Cubs diverted from the usual norm of using a starting pitcher to begin the ballgame and opted to use an opener and have right-hander Ben Brown follow.

Drew Pomeranz was the pitcher lucky enough to get the start for today’s ballgame, and he made sure to continue his dominance on the mound, with Brown adding on by showing the grit and determination to bounce back from his last start.

The Chicago Cubs get strong performances from both Pomeranz and Brown

The Cubs needed a strong showing from their pitching staff after allowing six runs to be scored against them in game one of the series against the Reds. The Cubs got just that with Pomeranz pitching one inning and striking out one, while Brown threw six scoreless innings, allowing one hit, one walk, and striking out nine.

“6 innings. 9 Ks.

Nice outing, Ben Brown.”

6 innings. 9 Ks.

Nice outing, Ben Brown. pic.twitter.com/bWJeNXGKSD

— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) May 31, 2025

Pomeranz continued his streak of not allowing an earned run, with Marquee Sports Network posting via their Twitter account that the 36-year-old has pitched 13.2 innings without allowing an earned run while striking out 15 and posting a 0.55 WHIP.

“Drew Pomeranz has been lights out

13.2 IP

15 K

0.51 WHIP

0.00 ERA”

Drew Pomeranz has been lights out

13.2 IP
15 K
0.51 WHIP
0.00 ERA pic.twitter.com/VnQ98E5FZc

— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) May 31, 2025

A bounce-back performance for Brown

This strong outing from Brown was a great sign from a confidence standpoint, as he had let up eight earned runs to this same Reds team on May 25. Brown struggled with pitching in the first inning, and it led him to seek help from one of the Cub’s mental skills coaches, which gave him the confidence he needed to have this positive outing.

Brown Via Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune:

“We can almost date it back to last year, where it was almost waiting for something good to happen in the first inning rather than me being on attack,” Brown said. “It’s up to me to force the hand without overthrowing. It’s an interesting dynamic.”

Brown even received praise for his performance, with Marquee Sports Network capturing manager Craig Counsell saying this was Brown’s “best outing” of the year.

“Absolutely his best (outing) of the year.”

Craig Counsell applauds Ben Brown’s performance”

"Absolutely his best (outing) of the year."

Craig Counsell applauds Ben Brown's performance pic.twitter.com/GNc9eKMXT6

— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) May 31, 2025

Brown could get another chance to start again after this strong showing, and that could come when the Cubs travel to Detroit to play the Tigers on June 6. Until then, the Cubs will look to win the series tomorrow when they send right-hander Jameson Taillon to the mound, while the Reds will counter with right-hander Nick Martinez.

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The Chicago Cubs acquired veteran Colin Rea in January, signing the righty swingman to a 1-year, $5 million deal. At the time, it was almost considered an afterthought.

Rea was thought of as competent, solid, and versatile. As far as his role with the Cubs, he was set to be a long relief bullpen piece who could step up to spot start on occasion. Formerly with the Milwaukee Brewers, he had earned the confidence of Cubs manager– and former Brewers manager– Craig Counsell and was picked up as a known-commodity depth piece. His lifetime ERA in the mid-4s told the tale of a guy just good enough to be an asset, but not quite capable of stardom.

Despite some token mentions as the team’s possible fifth starter, the 34-year-old wasn’t seriously considered for the rotation until Justin Steele went down with a season ending elbow injury. The loss of Steele, preceded by the loss of Javier Assad for an extended period of time, pushed Rea from swingman to firm member of Chicago’s rotation.

Colin Rea Steps Up

And the veteran responded well to the sudden boost in profile and responsibility.

In his first four starts, he posted a 1.86 ERA, with an overall ERA of 1.46. Coming into the month of May, he was killing it with a combined 0.96 ERA. Best of all, the Cubs were 4-0 when Rea started.

His dominance was a head-turner and a head-scratcher for many fans and analysts. The Rea dealing like an elite-level all-star in 2025 had never been like THIS.

Whatever the case and whatever the reason, the Cubs were enjoying the fruits of his performances. His surprise emergence was especially appreciated after Japanese southpaw Shota Imanaga went down with a hamstring injury.

But Rea’s success has not rolled along, building momentum.

The Fall Of Colin Rea

In May, he posted a 5.61 ERA, even with a solid May 1, 6 inning/2 earned run, start to the month. On Friday, he allowed a trio of 2-run home runs and 10 hits in 5.2 innings pitched. In his last two starts, he has a 10.13 ERA.

Unfortunately, this slippage is going hand in hand with the floundering of Ben Brown, who has posted a 6.75 ERA in May and may be on the verge of losing his starting rotation gig, even with no clear competitor in line to assume the spot.

In the case of Rea, could this just be him settling into who he is? With a lifetime 4.51 ERA, his 2025 ERA is now 3.96 after a pretty bad month. Is he really and truly who everyone thought he was back in January– an inning-eater in the bullpen who can do alright as a starter over a limited period of time?

Maybe.

But the Cubs need more than that. Steele is gone until well into next season, Assad is just starting to play catch after two runs at fixing an oblique issue, and the time frame for Imanaga’s return is alarmingly vague.

Matthew Boyd and Jameson Taillon have held things together and rookie Cade Horton is doing well for a kid essentially learning on the job. Obviously, however, that’s not enough for a team hoping to play deep into the postseason.

So, where do the Cubs go if Rea can’t turn things around?

Chicago Cubs Plans For A Struggling Rotation

Some of the team’s strategy amounts to little more than crossing their fingers and hoping for the best. The return of Imanaga and/or Assad will beef up the rotation. The continued advancement of Horton will help as well.

A low-risk gamble on released veteran Kenta Maeda has, so far, not paid off.

Brad Keller, Chris Flexen, or Drew Pomeranz could be given a shot at a rotation spot, replacing Rea and/or Brown.

Then, of course, there’s the trade deadline option. The Cubs could pull themselves through to late July with hopes of targeting a front-of-rotation presence. However, with most every other contending team also looking for pitching, it might be hard to land that big name.

For now, the Cubs will have to make due with what they have and hope for the healthy, successful return of Imanaga and Assad.

Rea returning to April form would also be an absolute godsend.

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25 year old Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Ben Brown recently got honest about his issues during the first inning. His comments came to fruition after the organization announced that they were going to use Drew Pomeranz as an opener for him during Saturday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds.

1st inning statistics

This year, Brown has not fared well during the opening inning of ball games. Across 10 innings, he has a 9.90 ERA during the first inning, 2.20 WHIP, has allowed 14 hits, eight walks, and opposing batters are hitting .318 against him.

After the first frame, Brown tends to settle in. He has an ERA of just 0.90 during the second and third innings with just six hits allowed in each inning and a .167 batting average against. His ERA inflates again during the fourth and fifth innings, but these numbers show that Brown has not been sharp to begin games.

Velocity is a concern for Cubs’ starter Ben Brown during the first inning

Brown is primarily a two-pitch pitcher, with a four-seam fastball and knuckle curve being his bread and butter. With a smaller arsenal than most starters, velocity and execution becomes even more important to putting away major league hitters.

The trend on Brown during the first inning this year is that his velocity won’t reach 95 MPH at times and he doesn’t throw strikes as efficiently. Brown acknowledged this himself by telling the Marquee Sports Network “I’m getting so excited, so pumped up to pitch I’m losing sight of what I do best. And it’s like a mental [thing] not being able to throw strikes. There’s a real dynamic to the first inning of baseball games that is different than other innings.

Brown also acknowledged the dip in velocity by saying “My average heater to the first three batters throwing strikes I was under 95 [mph]. So, I’m trying to throw as hard as I can, and I’m throwing it slower. And then when I can finally get comfortable and something goes my way, then you start seeing my stuff start to play.”

How Brown’s command and velocity responds to coming out of the bullpen on Saturday will be worth monitoring. If using an opener proves to be effective, it may be something manager Craig Counsell utilizes more frequently when it’s Brown’s turn to pitch.

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The Chicago Cubs opened a three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds by losing game one by a score of 6-2. The Cubs won four straight before dropping the opener to the Reds and will try to get back into the win column tomorrow.

Tomorrow’s game against the Reds had some speculation around it, with the Cubs not listing a starter. Tomorrow would be right-hander Ben Brown’s turn in the rotation, but after his last outing, where he allowed eight runs against this Reds team, the Cubs decided to leave the spot open to maybe use an opener.

It now appears that the Cubs have decided on who they will use to start the game against the Reds.

The Chicago Cubs choose who will start on Saturday

Since the Cubs left tomorrow’s spot in the rotation as to be determined, speculation arose on whether Ben Brown would get the start or who the opener would be. Bruce Levine of 670 The Score has reported that the Cubs have announced that left-hander Drew Pomeranz will be the opener for Saturday’s game, and Ben Brown will likely follow him.

“Cubs will start Drew Pomeranz as opener Saturday.”

Cubs will start Drew Pomeranz as opener Saturday.

— Bruce Levine (@MLBBruceLevine) May 30, 2025

Pomeranz was acquired from the Seattle Mariners organization and has been pitching great for a guy who has not pitched in the major leagues since 2021. In 14 games (12.2 innings) this season, Pomeranz has a 2-0 record and has not allowed an earned run, while striking out 14 and holding opposing hitters to a .098 average.

Brown has not had the season the Cubs hoped he would have

Brown hasn’t had the best season after showing glimpses of being a middle-of-the-rotation piece last season before a neck injury derailed his season. For this year, Brown has a record of 3-3 and an ERA of 6.39 in 50.2 innings.

Brown has had terrible home and road splits, having a 6.93 ERA at home and a 5.88 ERA on the road. He also hasn’t shown the ability to go deep into ball games, pitching six innings twice this season (May 2 against the Milwaukee Brewers and April 12 against the Los Angeles Dodgers).

The Cubs need Brown to get back on track and be the guy he was before suffering the neck injury last season, as he figures into their plans for this season and beyond. If Brown can’t be successful as a starter, the Cubs could utilize him as a reliever, as he already has two plus pitches in his four-seam fastball and knuckle curve.

A move to the bullpen could be in store for Brown, but he could even benefit from a trip down to Iowa to work on some things. With Shota Imanaga slowly working his way back, there will be time for Brown to figure it out, but his time to figure it out in the big leagues may be coming to a close.

The post Chicago Cubs announce who will start on Saturday: Report appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs‘ starting rotation was rocked this weekend in their series against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Colin Rea surrendered six earned runs through 5.0 innings pitched on an 108 pitch count in Chicago’s 6-4 loss to the Reds on Saturday.

On Sunday, Ben Brown gave up eight earned runs through 4.1 innings pitched on an 85 pitch count. Brown gave up four runs in the first inning before settling down. He gave up another four-run inning in the fifth.

A rough spring for Ben Brown

Brown entered Sunday’s contest with an ERA of 5.44 and 58 strikeouts. The 25-year-old right-hander has surrendered 11 earned runs in his last three outings (15 innings).

Cubs fans on social media are frustrated with Brown’s performance as a starter this season. He was expected to be the fifth man in the rotation, but injuries have caused Chicago to rely more on the young pitcher.

Chicago Cubs fans call for changes to the rotation

Some fans want Brown to go back to the bullpen when Shota Imanaga enters the rotation again when he recovers from his hamstring injury. Others would like to see Brown DFA’d.

“I’ve had about enough of Ben Brown in the rotation,” wrote a fan.

“I hate to say it, but I’m finally in the camp of Ben Brown to the bullpen,” suggested a fan. “Maybe even AAA. I guess Flexen to the rotation?”

“Brown experiment is OVER. He is hurting the team. Send him to the minors and do not bring him back up until he perfects a 3rd pitch,” posted another.

“Brown is not a starting pitcher he’s either a bullpen arm or nothing at this points I’ve seen enough. It’s not hard to hit a pitcher that only has 2 pitches,” argued a fan.

“Brown experiment must end and end as soon as possible. Send down to AAA until he can get his stuff figured out. He has no confidence and he isn’t going to get it in the big leagues getting t’d off on or walking the lineup,” posted another.

“I mean I hope I wake up to something the next couple days and it says that Ben Brown is DFA’d or he’s being sent to Iowa cause he doesn’t deserve to pitch anymore,” advocated a fan.

For More Chicago Sports:

Follow me on Twitter at @JordanSig, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Jordan Sigler via email at jordanmsigler@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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The Chicago Cubs have shined so far in 2025, carried by its stellar and diversified offense. But the team is definitely not without its issues.

The bullpen, for example, has been wildly inconsistent at times and is still lacking a true shutdown closer.

The starting rotation, meanwhile, has taken a battering. Ace starter Justin Steele is out for the season after elbow surgery. Co-ace Shota Imanaga is out with a tricky and unpredictable hamstring injury. Javier Assad is out until at least mid-season with oblique issues.

Big Losses In The Chicago Cubs Rotation

For those keeping track, this means that the Cubs are currently without 60% of their projected 2025 starting rotation.

To their credit, though, the starting corps has mostly held tough, anchored by veteran free agent acquisitions Matthew Boyd and Colin Rea. Jameson Taillon has been inconsistent at times, but seems to be turning things around.

But nobody believes that the Cubs can be a serious contender for a deep playoff run with the five starters they have right now. Specifically, with Ben Brown and rookie Cade Horton making up the back 40% of the rotation.

Some of those concerns would be resolved if/when Imanaga returns to the rotation and can stay healthy, although that return date keeps getting pushed back.

From Marquee Sports Network’s Taylor McGregor:

“Per Craig Counsell, Cubs Shota Imanaga will begin throwing off a mound towards the end of next week. He said his return will be ‘well into June.’”

Decisions Will Have To Be Made

The uncertainty is definitely not good news for the team, but the Japanese lefty should be back at some point. But even without his return, decisions have to be made about the back end of the rotation as the team will look to make a trade for a starting pitcher at some point before the trade deadline.

Cubs’ top pitching prospect, the 23-year-old Horton will likely get the benefit of every doubt when it comes to keeping his rotation gig.

Brown, on the other hand, looks to be the man in the proverbial hot seat.

The 25-year-old righty has been all over the place this season and has only pitched past 5.1 innings twice this year. His hefty 5.44 ERA serves as a testament to his inability to deliver a string of quality starts.

Ben Brown: On The Hot Seat?

Many are wondering aloud whether Brown’s days as a starter– especially in this potential pennant run– are done as soon as either Imanaga gets back or a trade gets made.

Per MLB Insider Bruce Levine on 670 The Score:

“Brown has the great fastball, a wonderful knuckle curve that he usually gets over for a strike…but…Can you live with a guy who sometimes gives you six innings, and other times it’s 3 2/3, four innings and 90 pitches? Can you live with that? Is the better version of Ben Brown in the back end of the bullpen helping you close out games, maybe two to three times a week, throwing a couple of innings?

…You’re going to need more starting pitching rather than less. So, I don’t know if there’s any answers in the minor leagues. I don’t know if [Jordan] Wicks is going to be part of that equation at all.”

In need of starting pitching, the Cubs’ focus has to fall on quality over quantity. And, although Brown’s shown flashes of brilliance this season (and last season, before it was shut down in June due to a neck injury), the team needs consistency and it needs results.

Brown will have a handful of starts to prove his worth, starting with one this Sunday against the divisional rival Cincinnati Reds. If he can’t turn heads and change minds, his rest-of-season role may be as a big arm coming out of the bullpen.

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The Chicago Cubs had some questions about their starting rotation coming into the 2025 season.

Those questions, however, were more focused on the back end of the rotation. Specifically, the fifth spot, which appeared to be entirely up for grabs.

With Justin Steele, Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon, and free agent addition Matthew Boyd slated to be the front four, there were several candidates vying for the last starter gig. Among those in consideration were Javier Assad, Ben Brown, and veteran free agent signee Colin Rea.

There seemed to be little cause for concern, if all things went according to plan.

In baseball, though, all things rarely go according to plan.

Chicago Cubs Starting Pitching Setbacks

Steele had to have season-ending elbow surgery. Assad has been down twice with oblique issues and may not be back until mid-season. Imanaga, meanwhile, is currently on the IL with a hamstring injury and there’s no timeline yet on when he may be back in the rotation.

The strain on the team has been less profound than one might think it would be. Credit that to a stellar offense that has ranked among baseball’s best. Credit that, also, to a remaining rotation that has performed remarkably well throughout the bad news.

Stepping Up

Boyd has stepped into the spotlight as de facto ace, posting a 2.78 ERA through 8 starts. Taillon’s 4.53 ERA is nothing spectacular, but he’s been steady and sturdy in the middle of the rotation. Brown has shown flashes of his true potential. And, most welcome of all, Rea has been brilliant with a 2.48 ERA in 9 appearances, which include 6 starts.

In Monday’s game with the Miami Marlins, Rea, who was signed to a 1-year, $5 million deal this past offseason, was given a standing ovation at Wrigley Field as he left the game after a performance that saw him give up just two earned runs in 6.2 innings pitched.

“This is,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell gushed to media after the game, “exactly the reason that we thought he was an important piece in the offseason.”

“It doesn’t feel flashy, and it doesn’t feel overpowering, but it’s good,” Counsell added. “He knows what he’s doing. He’s good at his craft. He’s a pitcher. He knows how to navigate an inning, navigate different types of hitters, and how his stuff plays against everybody. He’s very self-aware.”

There have been some definite feel-good moments within this battered starting rotation. There’ve been enough of them to, maybe, cloud perspective.

Reality Will Hit Hard

Johnny Flores Jr. of The Athletic, contributing to the website’s recent MLB Power Rankings article, spotlighted the reality destined to present itself further down the Cubs’ road:

“…What the Cubs surely will miss, especially down the stretch, is an ace like Steele. Ace-level starters don’t just grow on trees, you know? Having a dependable No. 1 could mean the difference between winning the NL Central and sitting out another October. It also creates a tall task for Jed Hoyer’s front office, as the Cubs won’t be the only team in search of a starter…and through the early parts of the season, it looks like it’ll be slim pickings come July.”

The cold, hard reality is that any team serious about a deep postseason run has to have a serious rotation and at least one proven shutdown starter. The Cubs, staffed with some overachieving assets and unproven talents, don’t have that right now.

Fans would like to believe that Rea, with his lifetime 4.42 ERA, will keep throwing gems and that the oft-injured Boyd, who hasn’t thrown more than 100 innings since 2019, will deliver greatness for a full season. They’d also like to believe that Imanaga will bounce back entirely after a tricky hamstring injury and that Assad will come back as well, dealing like 2024 at the tail end of the rotation.

There’s also the belief that the famously frugal Cubs organization will pull off some stellar deal for an ace at the trade deadline, despite having to compete with at least a half dozen other, historically more daring, teams looking to do the same.

That’s a lot of believing.

This is not to say that all of the above won’t happen or that, at the very least, enough of the above will happen to get the Cubs where they need to be. It’s just a lot and it will require some major efforts from both players and front office, as well as some major positive twists of fate.

Cross your fingers.

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Seeing how the Chicago Cubs coaching staff and front office has navigated their up-and-down pitching unit so far in 2025 has been interesting. The bullpen has been in flux for most of the campaign, but the team holds a 1.5 game lead in the NL Central with an 18-12 record in their first 30 games.

Losing Justin Steele for the season a couple of weeks ago made things much more difficult on the starting rotation, and it could lead to a bigger trade made by the front office to fill his shoes later on this season. The bullpen has had their moments of coming through big but also not being a huge help in important moments, which is on par for what the unit was like a season ago.

The front office made the decision to call up a veteran arm for the current Pittsburgh series who has been thriving at the Triple-A level so far this year.

Chicago Cubs to select Chris Flexen from Triple-A

Per reports, the Cubs are selecting Flexen’s contract from Triple-A and he will be added to the roster on Wednesday or Thursday morning prior to the series finale in Pittsburgh. Flexen has been dominant in Iowa so far in his five starts this season. The right-hander has a 1.16 ERA and a 3-0 record in 23.1 innings tossed thus far in 2025.

Flexen spent the 2024 campaign with the White Sox where he made 30 starts in 33 total appearances. He finished the season with a 3-15 record and a 4.95 ERA on the worst team in the modern era. His 160.0 innings tossed proved that he can be a reliable option and durable when needed.

It is unclear what Flexen’s role will be when he officially joins the Cubs on this road trip. He has the flexibility to pitch in long relief and as a starter, so it gives the club options. After Shota Imanaga exited Tuesday night’s game at PNC Park with leg cramps, he shouldn’t need to go on the IL. This instead could be a move to shake up the rotation and move a young arm like Ben Brown to the bullpen after he had another rough start against the Phillies at home over the weekend.

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The Chicago Cubs were beaten yesterday when the Philadelphia Phillies scored 10 runs, six of which came off yesterday’s starter, Ben Brown, who did not have his best stuff. Brown has not been great in his past two outings where he’s failed to reach the fifth inning and has given up seven earned runs.

Brown’s failure to go deep into ballgames has been a topic of conversation for the Cubs, and it needs to be corrected so they don’t overtax their bullpen. Brown can be a great middle-of-the-rotation starter if he can incorporate a third pitch, which after yesterday’s loss shows more than ever that he needs to add a third pitch to his arsenal.

Brown needs a third pitch to help the Chicago Cubs win

It is starting to show that Brown can’t be a two-pitch pitcher if he wants to continue being a starter for this ball club. His four-seam fastball and knuckle curveball are two-plus pitches and have swing-and-miss ability, but if hitters are only sitting on those two pitches, then their success of getting a hit off of him increases as their chances are 50-50.

Brown has used his fastball 57.1% of the time and has thrown 276 four-seamers. He has thrown his knuckle curve 40.4% of the time and has been relied on to get most of his strikeouts, getting 20 with the pitch so far.

Brown does have a changeup in his arsenal, but he rarely uses it and has only thrown it 12 times this season. He did throw one changeup in yesterday’s loss to the Phillies, but it was nowhere near the strike zone and was not a competitive pitch.

The FOX Broadcast Team, in particular former pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals and World Series winner Adam Wainwright, stated that Brown needs a changeup or at the very least “a slower pitch”, so he can give hitters something else to think about. Whatever the third pitch Brown decides to add and refine doesn’t have to be a plus pitch like his fastball and curve, but something that at least gets them off the scent of his strikeout pitches.

Brown adding a third pitch will help him go deeper into games

If Brown is to go deeper into ballgames and be a more effective starter, then adding a third pitch to his arsenal is needed. The bugaboo for Brown has come in the fourth inning when he goes through the lineup for a second time, as he has a 19.29 ERA in the fourth inning.

Brown’s ERA in the fourth inning is a stark difference from the 1.80 ERA he has in the third inning, which can be attributed to not having a third pitch. He has shown the ability to get by with just the two pitches for the first time through the order, but once they see him for a second or even a third time, having something different to offer them will help get him to get over the hill.

The other aspect of Brown’s game that needs to be cleaned up is walking batters. This season Brown has 14 walks in 25.1 innings, which comes to 5.0 walks per nine innings and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 2.21.

If Brown lowers the walks it should help him get into the fifth or sixth innings more. Browns’ next start for the Cubs should come when they play the San Francisco Giants on May 6. Hopefully, during his bullpen and side sessions before then, he can start mixing in his changeup more and get a better feel for it.

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The Chicago Cubs have serious questions with their starting rotation after Saturday’s 10-4 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies in front of 40,068 fans at Wrigley Field.

The fifth spot in the rotation was a question before the regular season. The Cubs gave Ben Brown the job, but it’s clear Chicago needs another starting pitcher soon after losing Justin Steele for the season as he recovers from an elbow injury that needed Tommy John surgery.

Brown gave up six earned runs on nine hits in 3.2 innings pitched.

Chicago Cubs manager sent pitcher a three-word warning

Following the game, Cubs manager Craig Counsell gave Brown a three-word warning in his statement to reporters.

“Craig Counsell on starter Ben Brown: ‘We need better,'” ESPN’s Jesse Rogers posted on X.

Craig Counsell on starter Ben Brown: “We need better.”

— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) April 26, 2025

Counsell gave a similar warning to Gage Workman after he gave up two errors in the Cubs’ win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday, saying the infielder needed to make a play. Chicago DFA’d him the next day and sent the Rule 5 pick to the Chicago White Sox on Saturday for cash considerations.

Ben Brown knows he needs to pitch better

In his post-game presser, Brown said he understood he needed to pitch better so he could stay on the mound longer.

“The team needs better out of me,” Brown said via video from Marquee Sports Network. “The bullpen needs a break, and they can get it. And I think I was cruising towards that today, and what happened just didn’t seem like there was an end in sight, which is unfortunate.

“Just gotta keep making good pitches, but ultimately gotta wake up tomorrow and do my best to get out there in six days, and give that length that the bullpen needs, and that the team needs. And it starts now with how I recover and how I go about reviewing my outing, and just getting better.”

Ben Brown speaks on the need to give the team longer outings. pic.twitter.com/R4kutA404p

— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) April 26, 2025

Brown entered Saturday’s contest with a 6.04 ERA and a 2-2 record. On a bright note, he threw five strikeouts before exiting early.

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Follow me on Twitter at @JordanSig, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Jordan Sigler via email at jordanmsigler@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks.

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The Chicago Cubs find themselves in a tough spot after elbow surgery ended the season for lefty ace, Justin Steele.

Replacing their most consistently excellent starter won’t be an easy task, although the team has continued to perform very well, despite his absence. Sooner or later, it’s believed that swing men and young, mostly unproven arms won’t be enough to fill that top-of-rotation spot.

But, for now, there seems to be no panic among the team, coaching, or the front office.

In part, that calmness has been fostered by the Cubs incredibly improved offense and its 6+ runs per game so far this season. The team’s defense has also been as shutdown good as expected. There’s been some encouragement, as well, from closer Ryan Pressly seemingly settling into his game-finishing role.

The Chicago Cubs’ Other Lefty Ace

Just as important as all of the above, perhaps, is the fact that the Cubs have another lefty ace putting up stellar top-of-rotation numbers.

Japanese stat Shota Imanaga has had an incredible sophomore year thus far, arguably even outshining in some ways his outstanding all-star rookie season, which he finished with a 15-3 record and a 2.91 ERA.

After five starts in 2025, Imanaga is 2-1, with a 2.22 ERA and an excellent ,988 WHIP.

There was a belief among many that the 31-year-old would be in for a more humbling sophomore season, with numbers more in line with a strong middle-of-rotation starter. However, as of this very early stage of the 2025 campaign, the former Yokohama DeNA BayStars standout looks similarly dazzling to last year.

Shota Imanaga Is On Fire

Jeremy Trottier of Sports Illustrated, using info culled from Baseball Savant, recently showcased the southpaw’s excellence and offered up a possible explanation for him staying ahead of the game.

Per Trottier:

“In terms of pitchers who have faced at least 100 batters this season, he ranks at the top of the list in swing percentage, with 56.4% of his pitches being swung at according to Baseball Savant. In addition, he is also generating high swing and miss numbers, with a 27.8% whiff rate, good for a tie at No. 24 among the same group of MLB pitchers.

The most intriguing part about this is why he has found so much success, and it heavily revolves around his utilization of the four-seam fastball.

This season his four-seamer is averaging 19.3 inches of induced vertical break (3.0 inches more than comparable pitches around the MLB) and 11.9 inches of induced horizontal break (3.9 inches more than comparable).

This type of movement allows him to rotate and mix his pitches to give similar looks with different ending points at the point of contact, which is something typically seen with the most elite pitchers in the league.”

The Importance Of Being Imanaga

All of this has contributed to Imanaga excelling at generating swings. Trottier theorizes that a technical tweak involving his arm angle has opened up more and varied movement for his pitches.

Whatever the case, Imanaga has become a superior asset coming out to start every fifth game. His stellar performances could not have come at a better time in the season, with the Cubs’ schedule filled with playoff-caliber teams and after having lost Steele for the year.

Of course, it’ll take more than one starting pitcher to push the Cubs forward as a playoff-serious team. But performances like Imanaga’s (and Matthew Boyd’s) can be contagious. The 25-year-old Ben Brown, for instance, has now turned in consecutive killer outings. Veteran Colin Rea has also been excellent.

Whether Chicago adds another elite-level starter or not, Imanaga’s presence will continue to be crucial to the Cubs’ success. So far, he has most definitely not disappointed.

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The Chicago Cubs series victory on the road against the Los Angeles Dodgers over the weekend has been the highlight of their season so far. They couldn’t plate a run against the Dodger pitching staff in the series opener where left-hander Matthew Boyd pitched very well in the 3-0 loss.

The tabled were flipped in a big way for the Saturday night tilt, where the Cubs handled Los Angeles their worst home shutout loss in franchise history with 16-0 being the final score. Young right-hander Ben Brown was sharp in the win, as he tossed six innings and punched out five batters.

The rubber match on Sunday night was the tightest of the series and the only game in the set where both teams scored. Pete Crow-Armstrong stole the show for Chicago, as the young centerfield had two homers and a triple in the 4-2 win to give the Cubs a huge series victory.

Chicago received some tough news on Sunday prior to first pitch with the announcement of Justin Steele needing season-ending surgery on his left elbow. Due to this, the front office still needs to figure out how they want to replace Steele’s spot in the rotation to give them the best chance at competing in October. Crow-Armstrong’s breakout game on Sunday made up for the sour news of the day and has him above two elite players in a specific statistical category.

Chicago Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong has a higher WAR than 2 greats

Entering play on Monday, Crow-Armstrong has a 0.7 WAR this season. Per Cubs broadcaster Alex Cohen, he ranks above Shohei Ohtani (0.6) and Mike Trout (0.5) in that metric so far this season.

Current 2025 WAR rankings per @espn and @baseball_ref.

Pete Crow-Armstrong: 0.7 WAR
Shohei Ohtani: 0.6 WAR
Mookie Betts: 0.5 WAR

— Alex Cohen (@voiceofcohen2) April 14, 2025

The big news around Crow-Armstrong over the weekend came in regards to him turning down an extension worth $75 million to stick around the Cubs organization for the long haul. While he is supposedly still more than interesting in negotiating his new deal, he proved his worth on Sunday.

Crow-Armstrong made his big league debut with the Cubs at the end of the 2023 season and played in 123 games last year after spending the beginning of the campaign in Triple-A. The 23-year-old has posted a .229/.289/.400 slash line so far this season in 18 games. Crow-Armstrong’s two homers on Sunday were his first round-trippers of the year and he has also driven in seven runs in 70 at-bats.

The Chicago Cubs need Pete Crow-Armstrong to be reliable

Crow-Armstrong’s glove, arm and speed have always been the more consistent parts of his game. He can cover an insane amount of ground in centerfield and is a weapon on the bases when he can find himself aboard the bags. His glove was the second tool in the minors to show itself, as he took home multiple honors for his defensive play in the Cubs’ farm system.

The only aspect of Crow-Armstrong’s game that isn’t there on a daily basis is his bat. Nobody is expecting him to hit 20 home runs a season, but if he can get to the point in his career where he hits 10-12 in a season and has an average around the .275 mark, the organization would be more than happy with that.

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The Chicago Cubs’ starting rotation has without a doubt been the most consistent part of their roster so far in the 2025 season. They are coming off a 16-0 victory against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday night where Ben Brown dazzled in his six innings of work as the team’s starter.

While every member of the rotation has put together a couple of solid starts this season, one of the organization’s frontline starters received some brutal news on Sunday.

Chicago Cubs announce that Justin Steele is out for the season

Craig Counsell made the fears of Cub fans official on Sunday when he announced that Steele will undergo season-ending surgery on his left elbow. The 29-year-old was placed on the injured list after his best start of the season on Monday against the Rangers, and things quickly went from bad to worse on the severity of his injury.

With the team off to a strong start and having aspirations to win the division, this is a crushing blow. Steele’s spot is up in the rotation for the Sunday night battle against the Dodgers and veteran right-hander Colin Rea has taken his place in the rotation for the time being.

It will be up to Matthew Boyd and Jameson Taillon to step up and fill Steele’s shoes for the rest of the season. Shota Imanaga continues to look like an ace, but it will take more than just his efforts to keep the franchise’s divisional title hopes intact.

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The Chicago Cubs had one of those ‘savor the moment’ games Saturday night…and it came at the expense of, arguably, the best team in baseball.

Up until last night’s 16-0 rout, the Dodgers appeared to have the Cubs’ number, winning the first three of their season encounters and shutting Chicago out just the night before. And, for the first five innings of Saturday’s game at Dodger Stadium, with 23-year-old Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki on the mound, the story wasn’t deviating too far from the script.

Sasaki had allowed just one earned run in five innings, reaching the fifth frame for the first time in his young major league career. The showing had to be a feel good moment for the Dodgers, who had seen their rookie free agent struggle at times in his three previous starts, never making it past the third inning.

The Chicago Cubs Busted Things Open

Then, of course, the flood gates opened and the rest of the evening’s feel good moments belonged to the Cubs.

With the previously untouchable Ben Casparius in relief, the Cubs delivered what would turn out to be a historic beatdown of the defending World Series champs.

Casparius would allow six earned runs in just 1.2 innings, kept in the game through a thrashing because of the Dodgers’ desire to rest a strained bullpen. At some point in the Cubs’ five-run seventh and four-run eighth, the Dodgers simply conceded defeat and took their lumps, putting utility infielder Miguel Rojas on the mound to close out the lost evening.

As mentioned, there was a bit of history mixed up in the 16-0 annihilation.

History Is Made

The loss will go down as one of the most comprehensive beatings in franchise history. Not only was it tied for the team’s largest run deficiency at Dodger Stadium, it also marked just the 16th time in franchise history that they have lost by 16 or more runs. It’ll also be registered as the first time since 1965 that they lost by such a wide margin while being shut out.

Data analysis company OptaSTATS went even deeper in their analysis of the one-sided beating.

Per the company’s Twitter/X account:

“The @Cubs’ 16-0 win tonight is the largest shutout win in MLB history against a team that entered the game with a .700+ win pct (min. 10 games into the season).”

For the Cubs, the night was full of highlights and offensive heroes.

So Many Heroes…

First baseman Michael Busch, a former prospect in the Dodgers system, went 4-for-6, with a home run and 3 RBIs. Catcher Carson Kelly went 3-for-3 with 2 home runs and 3 RBIs. Miguel Amaya, who was used as a pinch hitter and a replacement for designated hitter Seiya Suzuki, had a 2-for-3 evening, with a home run and 3 RBIs. Right fielder Kyle Tucker had another good night, going 2-for-4 with 2 RBIs.

All in all, eight different Cubs had at least one RBI Saturday night and all but two Cubs finished the game with at least one hit.

Arguably the best news of the night, though, came on the pitching end of the game as sophomore talent Ben Brown pitched six mostly stellar scoreless innings, allowing five hits and no walks.

The only bad news of the evening came in the fifth inning when DH Suzuki left the game with right wrist pain. Cubs manager Craig Counsell has since said that the Japanese slugger is day-to-day.

But, all in all, yes, Saturday was a very fine day to be a Cub and a Cubs fan. Enjoy. Things are hardly ever that fun.

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The 2023 season marked a breakout year for Chicago Cubs left-hander Justin Steele, which gave the organization hope for the future. He made 30 starts and posted a 16-5 record two years ago in 173.1 innings pitched. Steele closed out 2023 with a 3.06 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP for a Cubs team that just missed out on a Wild Card spot in the final weeks of the season. Steele’s 3.8 WAR in 2023 was by far the best mark in his career.

Steele was in the running for the CY Young Award two years ago but took a step back in 2024 despite posting similar numbers to the year prior. The southpaw made 24 starts last season and had a 5-5 record to go with his 3.07 ERA. Steele tossed in 134.2 frames as an injury on Opening Day against the Rangers kept him off the mound for about a month. He finished the season with a 1.10 WHIP and a 1.9 WAR.

Plenty is riding on Steele returning to form in 2025 to lead the Cubs rotation alongside Shota Imanaga. The organization desperately needs them to be horses for a pitching staff that is looking to lead the team to the playoffs for the first time since 2020. Unfortunately for Steele, things have not started out the way he would have liked to this year.

Justin Steele doesn’t look like himself

Steele has allowed at least three earned runs in each of his three starts so far this year. His most recent outing against the Athletics on Tuesday was his longest of the year at 6.2 innings, where he gave up four runs on seven hits in the Cubs 7-4 victory. While Steele was a pure gamer in his third start and gave Chicago a chance to win the game despite not having his best stuff, something is clearly off with him.

The left-hander is leaving plenty of his sliders up in the zone, which has led to balls in the gap and over the wall. Athletics’ catcher Shea Langeliers got the best of Steele for a two-run homer on Tuesday, but those were the last runs that he allowed in the game. The Athletics game was the second that the Cubs had won with Steele on the bump this season.

Steele can’t rely on the Chicago offense to score seven or more runs in every game that he starts this season, so something needs to change if the Cubs are hoping to get ace-stuff out of the former 2014 fifth-round draft pick. There is no denying that Steele can be great for the organization when he is on, but the inconsistencies over the past year or so leave room to worry about how much longer he can be relied on as a top-two starter in the rotation.

The Chicago Cubs might need to lean more on the other rotation arms

It will be up to the entire rotation to shoulder the load out of the gate this season. Ben Brown looked sharp in his first start of the campaign against the Athletics on Monday in an 18-3 rout, and he could be called upon in bigger spots down the road if he puts together a solid first full season in the big leagues.

Jameson Taillon had a rough go at it against the Diamondbacks on Friday, and he’ll look to get right against the Athletics on Wednesday. The right-hander is coming off his best season as a Cub, where he had a 3.27 ERA in 28 starts.

Matthew Boyd looked good in his official Cub debut over the weekend against Arizona, but the team couldn’t hold the lead for him as the bullpen imploded in the eighth inning. He and Taillon are in a similar boat as members of the middle of the rotation, and as veterans, they will need to step up.

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The Chicago Cubs are coming off a split in Arizona where it was a mixed-bag worth of performances from their offense and pitching staff.

Three-fourths of the Cubs’ starting pitchers showed up and did their job of keeping the team in the ballgame, but the bullpen was the one that cost them the series finale on Sunday.

The Cubs sit 2-4 to start the year and will travel to Sacramento to play the Athletics, who will have their season opener in a minor-league ballpark.

Baseball will see games played in two minor-league ballparks this season, with the Tampa Bay Rays being the other playing in George Steinbrenner Field, the home for the New York Yankees spring games.

The Cubs will send right-hander Ben Brown to the mound tonight for his first start of the season and look to improve from his outing in Japan, where it was a disaster.

Brown looks to have a bounce-back start for the Chicago Cubs

Brown’s appearance in Japan came in relief, where he pitched 2.2 innings, allowing four hits, three runs, two earned, and walking three batters.

Brown’s biggest problem was his lack of command, which contributed to him walking three hitters and allowed the game to spiral out of control.

Brown has worked in relief in his young career but has been a more effective starter. Last season, before having his season cut short due to a neck injury, Brown had a 3.23 ERA, limiting hitters to a .180 batting average in eight starts (39.0 innings) as a starter.

What Brown needs to do to be effective

Brown’s first task will be to limit the walks and traffic on the basepaths. The Athletics have a few guys on their roster, like Lawrence Butler, who are speed threats and will run as soon as they get on.

Along with Butler, there’s Brent Rooker to think about, who is the A’s main power threat and is coming off a career-high season in homers (39) and RBIs (112), which netted him a lucrative contract extension.

The A’s have a few young guys like Max Muncy, Tyler Soderstrom, and Jacob Wilson who should be looked after, but Butler and Rooker are the main threats here.

Brown will need to utilize his changeup more in this game and not rely solely on his fastball and knuckle curve to get outs. Flashing his changeup now and again, even to righties could prove effective and help give him the strength and get some length.

Another test for the Cubs

The Cubs are being tested to start this year, as the Athletics could prove to be a sneaky team this season and possibly make the postseason.

The Athletics will send right-hander Joey Este, who is making his season debut.

Estes is a six-pitch pitcher but is primarily a fastball/sweeper guy who will show a slider and a changeup to get hitters off the fastball/sweeper.

The Cubs will need to spit on all of Estes’s other pitchers and focus on hitting the fastball and sweeper to win the game. Hopefully, a strong outing by Brown and the bullpen can rebound and eke out a win.

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The Chicago Cubs have a roster that is a good combination of youth and veteran talent. Strategically mixing and matching these players in order to best utilize them will be one task this year for manager Craig Counsell.

A few of these examples include youngster Pete Crow-Armstrong being surrounded by Kyle Tucker and Ian Happ in the outfield. In the infield, rookie third baseman Matt Shaw will work alongside Jon Berti, Justin Turner, and even another younger player in Gage Workman. On the other side of the diamond, first baseman Michael Busch will see the vast majority of the playing time, but Turner will also back him up.

Pitching wise, reliever Porter Hodge will get to pick the brain of two time All-Star Ryan Pressly. Additionally, the starting rotation will now feature second year pro Ben Brown.

Chicago Cubs announce Ben Brown as the teams fifth pitcher in the starting rotation 

The Cubs have revealed that 25 year old Brown will be the team’s fifth starter. A season ago he appeared in 15 total games, making eight starts and throwing 55.1 innings with a 3.58 ERA. On the mound, he is a two pitch pitcher, with a fastball averaging 95.5 MPH and a knuckle curve that generated whiffs at a 51% rate last year.

Competing with Brown for the final spot in the rotation was newcomer Colin Rea.  He’s been a solid innings eater throughout his career, but doesn’t have the same upside that Brown possesses. Other pitching news was that Brad Keller won a 40-man roster spot and will operate as a reliever who can throw multiple innings.

It’s exciting to see the Cubs give Brown a chance to start this year. Things could change based on his performance, or when Javier Assad returns, but at least early on their is no significant risk in putting him alongside Shota Imanaga, Justin Steele, Jameson Taillon, and Matthew Boyd in the rotation.

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The Chicago Cubs are coming into the 2025 season with what appears to be an upgraded starting rotation.

That’s a pretty significant achievement since the team’s 2024 starting pitching was just about the only thing that stayed consistently good from opening to closing day. With a combined ERA of 3.79, the Cubs’ staff ranked tenth in the majors at the end of the 2024 campaign.

Chicago’s stated goal headed into the offseason was to target a front-of-rotation starting pitcher to further bolster the team’s strength. That objective was seriously questioned, however, when they refused to even make a play at any of the high-end starting pitching free agents and also failed to pull the trigger on a trade to pick up such an arm.

The Chicago Cubs Upgraded Their Starting Rotation

The Cubs did sign free agent Matthew Boyd to a 2-year, $29 million contract. It was the team’s first major move of the offseason and, ultimately, their only significant starting rotation move.

The 34-year-old Boyd is an upgrade from the outgoing veteran Kyle Hendricks, possessing the stuff and the mindset of a front-of-rotation starter unfortunately limited by a historically fragile arm.

In his 2024 with the Cleveland Guardians, the southpaw pitched extremely well after coming back from Tommy John surgery in 2023. He posted a 2.72 ERA in eight regular season starts. He also impressed in the playoffs, giving up just one earned run in 11.2 innings over three starts.

This year, he joins a returning Cubs rotation consisting of Justin Steele, Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon, and a fifth starter slot in play for Ben Brown, Colin Rea, Brad Keller, Jordan Wicks, or the currently injured Javier Assad.

Matthew Boyd Has High Praise For Cubs Rotation

Boyd, who is slated to start Game 4 of the Cubs’ domestic opening series against the Arizona Diamondbacks, recently had high praise for the Cubs starters, calling the staff one of the deepest crews he’s been on in his decade-long career.

“It’s a lot of talent, and talent beyond the five (starters),” he told The Chicago Tribune. “It’s one through nine, if you will. There are a lot of guys that can start that are super-talented. It’s one of the deepest rotations I’ve been on and the most talented. We all have our unique looks and unique ways to attack hitters.”

There is definitely depth when it comes to Cubs starting pitching. There are legitimately nine or ten pitchers who can man those five rotation slots, even with Wicks starting the season in the minors and Assad on the IL. If the front four of the rotation holds strong, that depth will be especially felt as there will then be several arms competing for just one rotation slot.

There Are Plenty Of Questions, Though

It should also be noted, though, that there are plenty of questions concerning the Cubs rotation and several possible ways things could go sideways.

Will the Wrigley Field winds that made the park so pitcher-friendly in 2024, start to blow out in 2025, suddenly making fly ball pitcher Imanaga significantly less successful? Will Taillon regress to poor 2023 form after a bounce back 2024 season? Will Boyd, who’s totaled just 275 innings pitched over the last five seasons and hasn’t pitched more than 100 innings in a single season since 2019, stay healthy over the long haul?

The names are certainly there for Chicago, but there is also some insecurity.

There’s a reason why the Cubs front office had been trying to bring another starting pitcher into the fold and, reportedly, are still trying to do so.

But, for now, everyone will cross their fingers and hope that what’s currently on paper– and what Boyd sees– translates to what plays out on the field.

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The Chicago Cubs will have their second Opening Day on March 27 when they take on the Arizona Diamondbacks, where they’ll face their top two pitchers, Zac Gallen and Corbin Burnes.

The Cubs are coming off a brutal series in Tokyo, Japan, in which they dropped both games of the Tokyo Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers to start their season.

The series featured the Cubs playing sloppy defense and their pitchers clogging up the bath paths by allowing too many walks.

After the series, the Cubs made two more roster moves by optioning pitchers Jordan Wicks and Eli Morgan to Triple-A. Wicks optioning could signal a winner of the fifth starter battle.

A winner for the Chicago Cubs’ fifth starter

The Cubs had three players competing for the fifth spot in the rotation when camp started this spring. The three pitchers vying for the job were Ben Brown, Colin Rea, and Wicks, who is now out with his optioning.

Brown was considered the front-runner to win the job, and with Wicks getting optioned, it appears Brown won the job.

Browns’ rough first outing

Brown did make an appearance in the first game against the Dodgers, where he came out of the bullpen in relief of Cubs starter Shota Imanaga. Brown had an underwhelming outing, where the Dodgers roughed him up in his 2.2 innings of work.

In those 2.2 innings, Brown allowed three runs, two being earned, on four hits, walking three, and striking out five. Brown did manage to strike out Shohei Ohtani on a nasty curveball, which got him out of a jam.

“There’s the good Ben Brown. Strikes out Shohei Ohtani on three pitches.“

There’s the good Ben Brown. Strikes out Shohei Ohtani on three pitches. pic.twitter.com/VP6cwRlAGm

— Aldo Soto (@AldoSoto21) March 18, 2025

Brown needs a third pitch

Brown will get another chance to bounce back and hopefully be better than this first outing. There’s a lot to build on in this outing, with the main thing being to stay out of the heart of the plate.

Brown has been working to get a better feel for a changeup, as he is just a fastball/curveball pitcher right now. In 2024, Brown used his four-seam fastball 63% of the time and his curve 36%, while he only threw his changeup 2%.

Having a third pitch is crucial for Brown to go deep into games. A third pitch would also make his fastball and curveball more effective and give hitters something else to have in their heads.

Brown’s fastball is relatively flat and sits around 95mph, which is average nowadays and won’t do much against big-league hitters if you don’t have other stuff to work off it. When facing Brown, hitters don’t have to fear that anything will run in on their hands for right-handed hitters since Brown works his fastball away and his curve darts down and away.

Having a changeup, which would break in on his arm side, would give right-handed hitters that fear of a pitch inside, so they’re not leaning over the plate sitting on a fastball away.

A bounce back for Brown

If Brown can add a changeup, either a seam-shifted change or the new ‘kick-change’ could be effective for him.

Doing so will elevate Brown’s game and make him a more effective starter who can go deeper into games.

Brown could see another outing out of the bullpen before he gets his first start, as the Cubs don’t need a fifth starter till later in April.

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The Chicago Cubs regular season roster beginning next Thursday against the Arizona Diamondbacks will look different than it did in Japan when they faced the Dodgers. They will enter play at Chase Field still in search of their first victory of the campaign as they lost both of their battles in the Tokyo Dome.

The fifth spot in the starting rotation has been up for grabs for most of camp and not a single candidate budged at any point while the team was in Mesa. The competition has been between Ben Brown, Jordan Wicks, and veteran right-hander Colin Rea. Brown made his debut in the first week of the 2024 season while Wicks has spent time with the club in both 2023 and 2024. Rea spent the previous two years with Milwaukee before signing a contract with the Cubs this past offseason.

Chicago’s front office made two moves on Thursday that have a major impact on the pitching staff next week in Arizona. One that alters the competition for the fifth spot in the rotation, and the other is a shocking send-down from the bullpen.

Chicago Cubs send Eli Morgan and Jordan Wicks to Iowa

Per reports, Wicks and Morgan will begin the year in Iowa where they will open up their season at home against the Omaha Storm Chasers on March 28. Morgan was acquired in a trade with the Cleveland Guardians in November and was seen as a legitimate option to be a solid middle-of-the-bullpen guy in 2025. There is still plenty of reason for him to be just that, but he will have to work his way up in Iowa to get to that spot.

Morgan appeared in five Spring Training games for the Cubs and had a 3.18 ERA in those outings. He tossed 5.2 innings and had an impressive 0.71 WHIP before being sent down. The right-hander was excellent in 2024 with the Guardians in 42.0 innings. He made 32 appearances and finished the season with a 1.93 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP.

Jordan Wicks’ future with the Chicago Cubs could be in question

Wicks was a first-round draft for Chicago out of Kansas State in 2021. He battled injury in 2024 but still appeared in 11 games while making 10 starts. The lefty had a 5.48 ERA and a 1.63 WHIP in 48.0 innings. Wicks was not as effective last year as he was in his debut season in 2023. He made seven starts and had a 4-1 record for a Cubs team that closed out the year with 83 wins.

Despite being a former top prospect, Wicks has not shown enough in a smaller sample size to give the Cubs a reason to place him on the roster moving forward. It appears that the coaching staff likes Rea and Brown more, leaving Wicks out to dry. The southpaw will be 26 years old at the end of the season, so his time is certainly ticking on how much longer the organization could keep him around.

If Wicks can reactivate his changeup and make it the weapon in his arsenal like it used to be, he will have a fighting chance to be a member of the staff at some point this year. He has stuff that can play at the big league level, it’s all about putting everything together and staying consistent when he gets his next opportunity.

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The Chicago Cubs didn’t look good this Tuesday in their 4-1 opening day loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo Japan.

The pitchers looked somewhat out of sync. There was some sloppy defensive play. The hitters also looked somewhat “off” and a half-step behind the pitching.

And all of that makes sense. In a normal season, the Cubs would be just winding down spring training at this point of the year, getting likely starters reps and just generally fine-tuning their game.

This year, however, they are halfway around the world, opening the season against the world champion Dodgers in a game with a level of electricity that feels more like a playoff opener than a March 18 game.

A Lot To Make Chicago Cubs Fans Wince

But, yeah, there was a lot to make fans wince.

Shota Imanaga rose to the occasion in this big at-home opener, but he didn’t look to have his best stuff, nor did he have his best control, giving up four walks in four shutout, no-hit innings. One wonders whether the proverbial roof would’ve caved in on him if he had not been pulled after four innings as he nearly hit his team-imposed 70-pitch limit.

Ben Brown, who followed Imanaga, had some electric stuff, but he also was a bit all over the place, giving up 3 walks, 4 hits, and 2 earned runs in 2.2 innings.

Former Dodgers reliever Ryan Brasier got smacked around a bit, allowing 2 hits, 1 walk, and 1 earned run in 1 inning.

Top prospect Matt Shaw made his big league debut in a most inauspicious way– with a 0-4 day and an error at third base.

Kyle Tucker continued his spring drought with a 0-4 day in his official regular season Cubs debut. The multi-tool, multi-time right fielder is now 1-for-his entire time as a Cub.

That’s certainly a lot of negative to chew on, and much of it lines up with legitimate points of concern headed into this 2025 season. What if the bullpen doesn’t hold? What if one or more of the starting rotation falls off? What if Tucker has a down year? What if Shaw is a bust?

Putting Things Into Perspective

But before we start panicking and preparing for a great purge at the trade deadline for rebuild-fodder, let’s just put things into perspective.

This is only the first game. The Cubs still have 99.38% of the season remaining. Plus, they WERE playing against Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, and the rest of the Dodgers– the best team in baseball.

And– brace yourselves– the Cubs may look similarly “off” on Wednesday in game two of the two-game Japanese series.

But things WILL get better.

Positivity…

Last year informs us that Imanaga will get his control figured out. Tuesday, even in such an odd event without his best stuff, he managed to account for himself quite well.

Tucker, meanwhile, is Tucker. History tells us that he’ll pull out of his funk and have a Tucker-like year.

The 23-year-old Shaw will go through some growing pains as a rookie, but his run as a pro in the Cubs organization tells us that he’s a winner. At the very least, he’ll be better than what the Cubs had going on at third base last year.

Nico Hoerner will also be back on the team for the domestic opener on March 27 and will register as an upgrade to utility man Jon Berti, who committed a crucial throwing error at second base on Tuesday.

Also, the bullpen should be just fine. There are too many horses in that pen for it to fail.

So, for now, Cubs fans, just relax. Enjoy the spectacle from Japan on Wednesday and leave the worrying to late spring/early summer.

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The Chicago Cubs have wrapped up their two exhibition contests in Tokyo and there were plenty of positive takeaways from both games. Despite the team being shutout in the first matchup 3-0 by the Hanshin Tigers, everyone got the work out of the bullpen as a way to knock off the rust before Tuesday’s season opener against the Dodgers.

Projected closer Ryan Pressly tossed a scoreless second frame and right-handed flamethrower Nate Pearson impressed as well. The former Toronto Blue Jay punched out a pair in a scoreless inning of his own after having a rough transition to the Cubs when he was acquired during the 2024 campaign.

The Cubs being held without a run in the first game was not ideal, but the bats came alive in game two. In a 4-2 victory over the Yomiuri Giants, all runs from both squads were plated in the fifth inning. Pete Crow-Armstrong doubled and rookie Matt Shaw collected a two-run single with the bases loaded.

Two members of the starting rotation combined for 8.1 frames of excellent work against the Giants, and one arm had high praise for the other entering the season.

Chicago Cubs pitcher Matthew Boyd deemed an “x-factor”

Jameson Taillon got the nod for Chicago against the Giants and went 4.1 frames. He allowed four hits and an earned run while walking a pair. Taillon punched out four batters and looked sharp in his lone outing overseas this year. When talking to the media after the game, Taillon had great things to say about new left hander Matthew Boyd who tossed the final four innings in the victory.

“He’s pretty nasty. I think if he’s healthy, he’s an x-factor for us this year.”

Jameson Taillon on Matt Boyd. pic.twitter.com/pC4xDRRhTf

— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) March 16, 2025

Boyd allowed three hits in his scoreless outing and did not walk anyone. The southpaw punched out six in what could be his lone appearance out of the bullpen this season. Chicago inked Boyd to a two-year contract back in December which will pay him nearly $15 million per season.

Boyd spent most of the 2024 season rehabbing from injury, but he looked extremely sharp when he returned to the mound. He tossed 39.2 regular season innings and made eight starts with the Cleveland Guardians. Boyd finished the year with a 2-2 record and a 2.72 ERA to pair with his 1.13 WHIP.

The veteran has proved that he can be a solid asset to any rotation as long as he can stay on the field. Chicago’s starting pitching was by far the strongest and most consistent aspect of their team a year ago. The addition of Boyd shows that the Cubs front office knows the team needs a similar level of success out of their rotation if they want to make a run at the NL Central crown this year.

It will take more than Matthew Boyd in the Chicago Cubs rotation

Shota Imanaga was incredible for the Cubs in 2024 in his first big league season. While him and Justin Steele will serve as the one-two punch yet again this year, it will be hard for Imanaga to replicate his dominance from a year ago. On the flipside, Steele had a down year in 2024 compared to his stellar 2023 campaign, so him getting back to form could even things out.

Boyd and Taillon will hold down the third and fourth spots in the rotation which will be much more significant than ever before. Taillon’s second year as a Cub a season ago was a breath of fresh air compared to 2023 and the coaching staff is hoping that he can be similar to that version of himself this season.

The competition for the fifth spot in the rotation is still in full swing and it should be figured out after the Cubs return back to the states. It appears that the final two candidates are Ben Brown and Colin Rea, with Jordan Wicks on the outside looking in.

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One theme emerging from spring training for the Chicago Cubs is that the pitching rotation is a work in progress. The Cubs are monitoring veteran free agent pitchers as they prepare to begin the regular season against the Los Angeles Dodgers at the Tokyo Dome on Tuesday.

Bob Nightingale of USA Today reported Chicago entered negotiations with Lance Lynn. However, Cubs manager Craig Counsell clarified over the weekend that the team isn’t “on the verge” of signing another pitcher, yet. However, the team could add another starter before their “domestic” opening day matchup against the Arizona Diamondbacks on March 27.

Or maybe they’ll promote from within.

The Chicago Cubs are looking to make a rotation change

Per Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Cubs are thinking about moving Ben Brown into the fifth spot for the starting rotation.

“The Cubs are giving serious consideration to putting hard-throwing right-hander Ben Brown in the rotation’s fifth spot,” Passan wrote. “The allure of Colin Rea, who threw 167⅔ perfectly OK innings last year, is in the high floor. Brown would be a ceiling play, fitting for a guy who stands 6-foot-6.

“With a high-90s fastball and monster curve, his repertoire is limited — or even better suited for the bullpen — but for someone of Brown’s talent, he’ll always have a spot as a reliever. Exhaust the possibility that he becomes a front-line starter before resigning him to the bullpen.”

At 25, Brown made his debut in the MLB last March. He appeared in 15 games last season and has a 1-3 record and an ERA of 3.58 with 64 strikeouts.

Brown has appeared in three games and started two in the Cactus League this year. He’s pitched eight innings and has nine strikeouts. He has given up 13 hits, six earned runs, and has an ERA of 6.75.

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Follow me on Twitter at @JordanSig, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Jordan Sigler via email at jordanmsigler@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks.

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The Chicago Cubs made a lot of moves this offseason, all in the name of making postseason play for the first time since the abbreviated 2020 season.

The biggest move, of course, was adding multi-tool all-star right fielder Kyle Tucker to the team via trade with the Houston Astros.

The team also picked up closer Ryan Pressly from the Astros in a separate trade.

Rehabbed lefty starter Matthew Boyd came to the team via free agency, as did co-starting catcher Carson Kelly. The bullpen also got major reinforcement with the addition of Ryan Brasier, Caleb Thielbar, Colin Rea, and Eli Morgan. Even some high-quality utility men were acquired in the persons of Jon Berti and Vidal Brujan.

Big Moves, Big Expectations

The roster makeover was enough to have experts and analysts declaring the Cubs the definitive favorites to win the NL Central division. The PECOTA projections from Baseball Prospectus sees the Cubs reaching 91 wins (third best in baseball behind the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves) and finishing 11 games ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers.

But this is baseball. Things can go sideways in a heartbeat and all of a team’s best laid plans could fall to the side of the road very quickly.

Plus, Cubs fans are pretty much conditioned to be skeptics and cynics.

So, what happens if, for whatever the reason, Chicago finds itself in a hole and out of realistic contention as the trade deadline approaches? Could we be in for another Great Cubs Purge, like the one in 2021?

The Great Purge of 2021

In that year, after non-tendering Kyle Schwarber and trading Yu Darvish in the offseason, the Cubs dealt key World Series figures Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, and Javier Baez. They would also trade away Craig Kimbrel, Joc Pederson, and Andrew Chafin at, or near, the trade deadline.

It was an unprecedented talent dump and an instant announcement to the world that the team was moving drastically in another direction.

So, could the Cubs have another Great Purge? It’s actually pretty likely, under the right (or wrong) circumstances.

The team has several veteran players who will be eligible for free agency within the next couple of years and a couple notable ones who will be eligible after this coming season. The Cubs farm system is also loaded with high-end major league-level talent looking for playing time in the big leagues.

It’s not too much of a jump to conclusion to say that the organization might be looking for the opportunity to swap out big-money veterans for young, hungry (and cheap) youngsters.

But Who Would Be Purged From The 2025 Chicago Cubs?

So, here’s a look at who could be dealt at the trade deadline on a derailed Cubs team and who could take their place.

Jameson Taillon

The veteran right-hander has two years of contract left and could be an attractive mid-rotation piece for a contending team desperate for starting pitching. There’s already been some unsubstantiated media buzz about Taillon going to the Yankees for a high-value Triple-A arm, but any such deal would probably only happen at the trade deadline– and if the Cubs don’t need Taillon themselves.

Top pitching prospect Cade Horton could be moved to the majors if Taillon gets dealt. Ben Brown and Jordan Wicks could also fill his spot in the rotation.

Ryan Pressly

The Cubs picked up their new closer from the Houston Astros after whiffing on free agent Tanner Scott. If the 36-year-old is having a good year and the Cubs are out of contention, Pressly, who will become a free agent at the end of this season, would likely be dealt to a contender after approving such a deal to override the no trade clause in his contract.

If that happens, 24-year-old Porter Hodge would be moved back into the closer role he filled at the end of the 2024 season.

Kyle Tucker

You’d want to believe that, with the money saved in this purge, the Cubs would invest it into extending Tucker as a building block veteran. But, no, he’ll also be dealt to a contender.

The Cubs would then bring up Kevin Alcantara or Owen Caissie to take Tucker’s outfield spot.

Ian Happ/Seiya Suzuki

Either or both of these Cubs mainstays, eligible for free agency at the end of the 2026 season, could be traded if they chose to disregard the no trade clause in their contracts.

The opening would provide an opportunity to outfield prospects Kevin Alcantara or Owen Caissie, as well as talented 21-year-old catcher/designated hitter and batting savant Moises Ballesteros.

Nico Hoerner

Hoerner, who is free agent-eligible after the 2026 season, is good, steady, and reliable. He’d also be an attractive middle infield anchor to a team in contention.

Prospect James Triantos, who profiles as a similar player with a similar up side, could be brought up to take the Cubs’ second base gig.

The Cubs could conceivably get quite a haul of young talent in a 2025 purge, while also opening the door to already-existing top prospects.

They would, however, prefer to be buyers and not sellers (contenders and not disappointments) at the trade deadline.

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The Chicago Cubs are watching starting pitchers drop like flies all around them and are reportedly making contingency plans to cover their own bases.

Notably, the New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, and Seattle Mariners have all recently felt the sting of injury to prominent starters.

The Cubs, with an earlier than usual opening day series in Japan against the Los Angeles Dodgers, may be concerned about the change affecting the health and general preparedness of their players, especially the all-important pieces of their starting rotation.

Chicago Cubs Have Veteran Starters “On Their Radar”

That’s why a recent report from Ken Rosenthal and Patrick Mooney of The Athletic shouldn’t really be all that surprising.

According to sources, the Cubs have a pair of so far unsigned free agent veteran starters– Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn– “on their radar.”

Per The Athletic:

“Even the Chicago Cubs, relatively healthy at the moment, are among the clubs seeking potential rotation help, a search that might intensify depending on how they fare in their season-opening series against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Tokyo on March 18-19…

The Cubs are keeping Gibson and Lynn on their radar in case issues arise after the team’s early ramp-up for spring training and long trip to Japan, sources say…

At the moment, the Cubs aren’t in a position to promise Gibson or Lynn a spot in their rotation, much less guarantee that either pitcher would make the major-league club by a certain date. But the seemingly nonstop injury news coming out of Arizona and Florida means all 30 clubs will continue looking for pitching. Even ones that appear to be set.”

A Pair of Workhorses On The Market

Gibson and Lynn, both 37 and coming off one-year stints with the St. Louis Cardinals, have built reputations as workhorses over the course of their careers. Gibson has averaged more than 30 starts per season in ten full seasons (excluding rookie year and abbreviated 2020 season) while Lynn has averaged about 29.5 starts in eleven full seasons (also excluding rookie year and 2020).

Last year, Gibson finished with a 4.24 ERA in 30 starts/169.2 innings while Lynn posted a 3.84 ERA in 23 starts/117.1 innings.

The two veterans should find contracts before the start of the regular season, given the rash of starting pitching injuries and just the general need for major league-level arms with proven track records.

The State Of The Cubs’ Starting Rotation

On the surface, the Cubs seem fine when it comes to starting pitching depth with a front four consisting of Shota Imanaga, Justin Steele, Jameson Taillon, and Matthew Boyd. Chicago’s fifth rotation slot has been the subject of debate since it was announced that Javier Assad would begin the season on the injured list due to oblique issues.

Assad, however, appears to be progressing nicely and there’s considerable depth behind the young pitcher in the persons of Colin Rea, Ben Brown, Jordan Wicks, and Brad Keller.

Still, starting pitching depth will be important in what the Cubs hope to be a playoff-bound 2025. Aside from the natural unpredictability of a long 162-game season, where fluke injuries abound, there’s also some legitimate concern over the durability of key rotation pieces.

Boyd, for example, is just about a year-and-half removed from Tommy John surgery and only pitched a total of 51.1 innings, between regular season and postseason, with the Cleveland Guardians in 2024. Assad’s current impairment and Brown’s neck injury of last season, which led to the team shutting him down in June, are also points of concern.

It should be interesting how the market opens up for pitchers like Gibson and Lynn and which teams grab at them out of either necessity or for insurance. Whatever the case, the Cubs are apparently in the picture.

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The Chicago Cubs are slowly getting their roster together to take on the Los Angeles Dodgers in Japan for the Tokyo series on March 18-19.

The Cubs have a couple of interesting positional battles happening in camp that will likely come to a head in the coming days.

One of those battles that has proven to be the most interesting to follow is the fight for the fifth spot in the starting rotation.

Chicago Cubs’ probable rotation

The Cubs have Shota Imanaga and Justin Steele leading the staff as their Ace and number two. Both will be the Game 1 and 2 starters over in Japan.

Following the Cubs, two high-quality lefties are Jameson Taillon, who occupies the third spot, and Matt Boyd in the fourth spot in the rotation. Since the Cubs have the first four spots locked in, the only remaining question is who will occupy the fifth spot?

There are three leading candidates for the job: Colin Rea, Ben Brown, and Jordan Wicks. Brown looks to be the man for the job, even though he’s had a shakey spring.

Brown is the leading candidate

The 25-year-old right-hander has been up and down in his three appearances this spring, with a 1-1 record with a 6.75 ERA, but has nine strikeouts in 8.0 innings pitched.

In a recent episode of Northside Territory, Cubs Insider and columnist with The Athletic Patrick Mooney stated that Brown has the best chance to be the Cub’s fifth starter. When asked by a fan if Brown or Wicks would be the guy, Mooney stated that he “would be shocked” if Wicks made the trip to Japan.

Mooney added that Brown has “flashed” more “stuff” this spring than Wicks has, and that brings more “impact” to the roster.

Brown was impressive in his 15 appearances (eight starts) last season for the Cubs before he went down with a neck injury. In those 15 games, Brown pitched to a 1-3 with a 3.58 ERA in 55.1 innings. The young right-hander also had a nice FIP and WHIP of 3.11 and 1.084.

Wicks has options

Wicks, as Mooney said, will start the season in Iowa and is likely the next player to be sent down, given he still has three minor-league options available. Mooney’s colleague at The Athletic and co-host on the show, Sahadev Sharma, said that he couldn’t see Wicks coming out of the bullpen, and would be better served getting innings down on the farm.

“I would not see Wicks coming out of the bullpen, I think he’s willing to do whatever is needed and what is asked of him, but I think you don’t open the season with him in the bullpen. It’s either rotation or Iowa rotation.”

Wicks this spring has been great, pitching to a 3.86 ERA and five strikeouts in 4.2 innings.

It’s good to have options

Brown has the potential to be more than a fifth starter as he progresses through his career, but this is a great place to start.

The Cubs have plenty of options to mix and match in the starting rotation if an injury happens.

The Cubs have a solid rotation forming to start the season, and having Brown fill it out is a nice “cherry on top” to finish it off.

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The Chicago Cubs stand to have a pretty strong starting rotation.

Even with Javier Assad’s left oblique strain sidelining him and forcing him to start the season on the injured list, the team still looks deep when it comes to starting pitching.

The current front four of the rotation consists of Shota Imanaga, Justin Steele, Jameson Taillon, and Matthew Boyd. Competition for that fifth slot will consist of Colin Rea, Jordan Wicks, Ben Brown, and Assad, when he’s healthy.

Brown, especially, may play a significant role in the Cubs’ starting rotation plans in the immediate future. The question is whether that immediate future is within the coming weeks, later in the year, or next season.

The Value of Ben Brown

The 6-foot-6 right-hander impressed last year and overpowered at times before having his season shut down with a persistent neck injury that hobbled his work.

Up until that injury, Brown had delivered a 3.58 ERA in 55.1 innings, including a 3.23 ERA in eight starts. His brilliant 7-inning, no-hit, 10-strikeout performance against the Milwaukee Brewers on May 28 showcased the kind of plus-plus potential the young talent possesses in his lanky frame.

This year, however, he’s back to competing for a spot on the team after being given full medical clearance to pitch at 100% capacity. So far this spring, he’s pitched eight innings in three appearances.

Chicago Cubs, Tasked With Finding The Right Place For Brown

There’s no doubt that the 25-year-old has a place on the team. The question is whether he’s going to find that place in the bullpen or as a starter. And, if the answer is the latter, whether he might start the season in Triple-A Iowa.

Per Patrick Mooney of The Athletic:

“Ben Brown will continue to be stretched out as a starter because the Cubs know he could be a big X-factor for their rotation and they don’t want to foreclose that possibility right now. Rather than tapering his innings in March and immediately turning him into a high-leverage reliever, it makes more sense for Brown to increase his workload and be available if the Cubs need another starter. Moving to the bullpen later would be easier than trying to ramp back up toward 100 pitches again.

At this stage of his career, Brown, 25, expects this to be a fluid situation and understands things. He’s a 6-foot-6 right-hander with swing-and-miss stuff, an analytical approach to pitching and a minor-league option this year.”

Brown Has A Preference, But Just Wants To Win

Brown, himself, says that he prefers starting, although he’ll play any role that helps the Cubs win.

“I do want to be a starter in this league,” Brown told The Athletic. “And I do want to be a starter for a very long time. Obviously, we have a very good team, a very deep team. I want to have a role. I’m preparing to go out there and get outs. I think that my stuff plays out of the bullpen. I think it plays as a starter. I don’t think my approach changes at all.”

There’s no doubt that the future is bright for Brown. But will he shine now or later…and in what role, exactly, will he shine? All of that remains to be seen.

In the meantime, everybody, including current Cubs, sees his value.

“Ben Brown…that dude’s a horse,” Cubs ace Justin Steele said on the North Side Territory podcast, prior to the official start of spring training. “He’s in the weight room, doing the stuff that he would normally do. (We had) conversations when all that stuff was going on with his neck. When the player doesn’t really know what it is, it can affect you mentally. It makes you not want to do stuff because you don’t want to make it worse.

“Just to see him being the spring chicken that he is, doing the lifts, throwing with full effort, and having that personality that he always had, it’s just fun being around him. Watching him throw his bullpens and go through his work, you know the guy is going to be a stud if he gets a full season under his belt.”

The post Chicago Cubs’ future superstar may begin 2025 season in minors after all appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs have an additional drama working its way through this spring training. They need to come up with a new fifth starter.

Javier Assad, last season’s rotation mainstay and favorite for the fifth starter slot this season, is dealing with an oblique strain that will keep him from starting the season in the Cubs’ rotation. That reality has created the need to find someone else for a rotation that also boasts Shota Imanaga, Justin Steele, Jameson Taillon, and Matthew Boyd.

Javier Assad Will Not Make The Opening Day Roster

The truth is, though, that Assad was not necessarily a lock for that fifth starter spot, anyway. The 27-year-old may have been the favorite after a season that saw him register a 3.73 ERA in 29 games and 147 innings, but there was considerable competition for the final rotation spot coming into spring training and Assad was not a sure thing to make the starting five.

In the offseason, names such as Ben Brown, Jordan Wicks, Cody Poteet, and top pitching prospect Cade Horton were named as possible fifth men in addition to Assad. The free agent signing of veteran Colin Rea also added a name to the list of potential contenders for the role.

Fans Decide On Chicago Cubs Fifth Starter

A recent fan poll conducted by MLB Trade Rumors, before Assad was ruled out of making the opening day roster, shows that the fans believe someone other than Assad will be the Cubs’ fifth starter headed into the 2025 campaign.

According to the poll that registered 4,419 participants, Rea is the favorite to make the back-end of the rotation with 27.54% of the vote. He’s followed by Assad with 25.98%. After that, Ben Brown came in with 22.79%, Wicks got 16.02%, and “someone else” got 7.67%.

Possibilities

It’s actually not much of a surprise that the 34-year-old Rea would be considered the favorite to take the final rotation spot. The six-year veteran most recently pitched for the Milwaukee Brewers, with two of those seasons coming directly under the watch of Cubs manager and former Brewers manager Craig Counsell. The familiarity factor, alone, would seem to make Rea a favorite in the race for pitching time.

Rea has never been blow-away great, with a less-than-stellar 4.57 career ERA in 94 total games, but he’s been solid enough as a reliable innings eater. Originally thought to be signed on his one-year, $5 million deal as a swing man, there was always the possibility that he’d find some rotation work at some point in the season.

The fan poll runner-up, Brown, might be the long-term answer when it comes to being a starting rotation asset. The 6-foot-6 right-hander showed outstanding stuff last season, at times overpowering hitters, before a persistent neck injury shut down his season.

Up until the injury, Brown had delivered a 3.58 ERA in 55.1 innings, including a 3.23 ERA in eight starts. The 25-year-old had been given full medical clearance this offseason to resume training and has pitched 4.1 innings this spring.

The 25-year-old lefty Wicks, meanwhile, has shown flashes of brilliance, but, hampered by injury, has never delivered fully on his promise. Last season, he posted a 5.48 ERA in eleven games (ten starts). Wicks’ most likely role on the Cubs will be as a long reliever, with emergency starter capability.

Other possibilities for the fifth starter spot exist, as well as the possibility that the Cubs may make a deal for another arm at some point in the season. There’s also the distinct reality that another starter may fall from the rotation at some point, necessitating another backup to move up.

As is always the case in baseball, anything can happen and the Cubs will just have to prepare themselves for the unexpected.

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The Chicago Cubs have had a respectable spring training so far and are slowly getting themselves ready to start the regular season.

The Cubs have dwindled their roster down to 54 players after sending four players to Triple-A Iowa, with more cuts set to come in the next few weeks.

Entering camp, the Cubs had a few of their players banged up, with the most notable names being Matt Shaw and Javier Assad.

According to manager Craig Counsell, Assad will likely start the season on the injured list. Assad’s absence will free up a spot in the rotation for other players on the active roster to seize the opportunity.

The open spot in the Chicago Cubs rotation

With Assad starting the season on the injured list, it frees up an opportunity for others to fill the void. Players like Colin Rea, Ben Brown, and Jordan Wicks all have chances to take the fifth spot in the rotation, with a potential for a sixth spot to open up with the Cubs possibly implementing a six-man rotation.

Rea and Brown would be considered the front-runners for the job, with Rea having a slight edge over Brown with him being the veteran. The 34-year-old Rea signed a one-year deal with the Cubs in the offseason. Rea brings six years of big-league experience and 76 career starts.

Rea has the inside edge

Rea has the inside edge to take the fifth spot after coming off the best season of his career last season. The Indiana State University product spent the past three seasons in the Milwaukee Brewers organization, with a brief stopover in Japan for the 2022 season.

In his three seasons with the Brewers, Rea put up decent numbers. Pitching to an 18-12 with a 4.46 ERA with 250 strikeouts in 298.1 innings, Rea had the best season of his career thus far last year. In 167.2 innings, the 6-5 right-hander, in 27 starts, had a 12-6 record with a 4.29 ERA.

Rea has six pitches in his arsenal, which could help him be an effective starter. Rea throws three different types of fastballs, a four-seamer (19%), a sinker (31%), and a cutter (19%), with a sweeper (17%), a splitter (9%), and a curveball (4%) in reserve. Rea’s 35-degree arm angle makes him more effective at getting sink, ride, and cut on his pitches.

So far this spring, Rea has proven to be the leading candidate, pitching to a 2-1 record with a 1.93 ERA in 4.2 innings. If he keeps this up, he certainly will in the job.

Brown

Brown could overtake Rea to win the fifth spot, but if there is, in fact, a sixth spot, Brown would be the guy to capture it. The 25-year-old hasn’t had the best spring, having a 6.23 ERA in two appearances.

Browns’ season got cut short last year after having a neck injury, and he looks to bounce back and become a may-stay in the rotation. In 15 games for the Cubbies, eight being starts, Brown had a record of 1-3 with a 3.58 ERA in 55.1 innings pitched. In that short span, Brown displayed his ability to have elite strikeout stuff by striking out 64 batters, which is good enough for a 10.4 strikeout per nine.

Brown enters camp looking to up the use of his changeup, which could help him be a more effective starter. Having an above-average fastball and a nasty knuckle curve, adding a changeup could take Browns game to the next level.

Wicks

The Cubs have three lefties in their rotation, with Shota Imanaga, Justin Steele, and Matt Boyd currently occupying spots in the rotation. The 25-year-old left-hander didn’t have the best season in 2024, pitching to a 5.48 ERA in 45.0 innings.

The Cubs need another left-handed option out of the bullpen, with Caleb Thielbar being the lead option. Wicks could occupy that role and be a valuable weapon for the Cubs this season. Wicks has been good this spring, having a 3.86 ERA in two outings.

Options to choose from

The Cubs, thankfully, enter the season with a good amount of starting pitching depth.

You can never have enough starting pitching in baseball, and the Cubs certainly have that in spades.

With the season fast approaching, hopefully, the Cubs can stay healthy and put on a show in Japan for when they travel there to play in the Tokyo Series.

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The Chicago Cubs have some battles brewing for someone to fill the fifth spot in their rotation. The Cubs could potentially utilize a six-man rotation with a couple of their starters either dealing with an injury or working their way back from one.

So far, the Cubs have a solid 1-4, with Shota Imanaga taking the lead, followed by Justin Steele, Jameson Taillon, and Matt Boyd filling out the fourth spot.

In the mix for the fifth spot and potentially for the sixth spot are Colin Rea, Javier Assad, Ben Brown, and possibly the Cubs’ top pitching prospect, Cade Horton.

Chicago Cubs’ young pitcher could make the rotation

Ben Brown has a high chance of making the Cubs’ rotation with having all the talent and skill to be a future middle-of-the-rotation arm, with the potential of being a number two starter. The 25-year-old was a part of the Cubs rotation for his rookie season before having his season cut short due to a neck injury.

Before going down with the injury, Brown appeared in 15 games for the Cubbies, eight of them being starts, in which he had a record of 1-3 with a 3.58 ERA in 55.1 innings pitched. In that short span, Brown displayed his ability to have elite strikeout stuff by striking out 64 batters, which is good enough for a 10.4 strikeout per nine.

Brown comes into the season looking to use another pitch

Coming into this season, the product of Ward Melville High School in East Setauket, NY, is looking to utilize his changeup more, with being strictly a two-pitch pitcher so far in his career. Brown mainly attacks hitters with a high-velocity fastball that sits at 96.4mph and has a wicked knuckle curve to put hitters away.

However, the 6-6 right-hander does get fastball happy with throwing it 62.7% of the time compared to his curveball, which he throws 35.7% of the time. Brown did flash his changeup a few times last season but only threw it 14 times.

Upping his changeup usage should do wonders for Brown, who doesn’t have a pitch that runs into righties. Adding in a changeup would do that and give the hitters something else to think about. Speaking to The Athletic, Brown stressed that upping his usage would be instrumental in helping him fine-tune his arsenal and become more of an elite pitcher.

“I feel like if I don’t have my changeup that day I can get through a lineup with two pitches,” Brown said. “But I want to get to the point where if I don’t have my curveball one day I can get through it with my fastball and changeup, then eventually add even more pitches. But I feel like having the conviction behind what you have is important.”

A healthy Brown is what the Cubs need

Brown comes into this season fully healthy and ready to win a roster spot.

Given his talent and high velocity, if Brown doesn’t make the rotation, he could be an effective weapon for the Cubs out of the bullpen.

Brown will have all of spring to fine-tune and hone in on fully commanding a changeup to help take his game to the next level. If he’s successful, the Cubs could have a top-tier pitcher.

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The Chicago Cubs entered this offseason with the stated goal of adding another top-of-rotation starter to fortify the team’s chances of making a deep playoff run.

Instead, the team ended up with some additional back-of-rotation options.

Chief among the Cubs’ offseason pitching acquisitions was former Cleveland Guardian Matthew Boyd, who brings his rehabbed and repaired left arm to Chicago after signing a two-year, $29 million deal with the team. He’s been slotted for the fourth starter spot, right after Shota Imanaga, Justin Steele, and James Taillon.

With the front four of the rotation pretty much settled, what remains is a hyper-focus on that fifth rotation spot. And the Cubs are fairly rich in candidates for that position.

Favorites To Land The Chicago Cubs Final Rotation Spot

The 27-year-old Javier Assad has to be considered the favorite for the final rotation spot, simply because he did a pretty solid job of it last season. The Mexican right-hander notched a 3.79 ERA in 29 starts and showcased a poise beyond his years and level of experience. Critics, however, doubt his overall talent level as a full-time, long-time starter.

Another favorite has to be Ben Brown, who dazzled at times in his 2024 rookie year and delivered a 3.58 ERA overall, with 8 starts in 15 appearances before being shut down with a neck injury. The 25-year-old is reportedly healthy headed into this season.

Contenders For The Gig

Veteran Colin Rea was acquired as a free agent this offseason on a one-year, $5 million deal. Ostensibly, he was picked up as a swing man to add depth to the bullpen and eat innings as a pitcher who could do some long relief as well as spot start. The 34-year-old former Milwaukee Brewer, however, is a known entity to manager Craig Counsell and may benefit from being a comfortable go-to option in a moment of doubt.

Lefty Jordan Wicks, 25, has shown patches of promise throughout his two-year major league career, but he’s been plagued by performance-limiting injury, especially last season.

Longshots For The Fifth Spot

Cade Horton is the Cubs’ top pitching prospect and a lock to get a shot at cracking the major league starting rotation. The question is whether 2025 will be the year where he gets that opportunity. The 23-year-old had his 2024 season in the minors shut down due to injury. And, while he appears to be fully healthy headed into 2025, the team will be careful not to put too much on his plate too soon.

Caleb Killian is another prospect looking for major league time. So far, the 27-year-old has bombed out at the big league level, with a combined 9.22 ERA over 27.1 innings spread out over three seasons. In his brief majors stint in 2024, however, he appeared to show signs of putting things together. Most likely, he’ll be in Iowa this season, further working on his game.

Cody Poteet came to the Cubs this offseason from the New York Yankees in the Cody Bellinger trade. Capable of starting as well as long relief, the 30-year-old with a 3.80 ERA in 83 big league innings will probably find himself as a swing man in the bullpen, if he makes the major league roster.

It should also be mentioned that there exists the slightest hint of a possibility that the Cubs may explore a 6-man starting rotation, at least at certain points of the season. With the surplus of starter options, it may be an idea worth exploring to save wear and tear on rotation assets for a hopeful late-season pennant push.

Barring injury or unforeseen regression from one of the existing starters, there should be plenty of options for a really good five-man rotation this season. As always, time will tell.

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The Chicago Cubs started the offseason with the goal of targeting a front-of-rotation starting pitcher. As the offseason progressed, though, that goal seemed to fade.

Instead, the team focused on adding an impact player (Kyle Tucker), a co-starting catcher (Carson Kelly), and increased bullpen depth.

They DID pick up a noteworthy starting pitcher in rehabbed lefty free agent Matthew Boyd, but the oft-injured 34-year-old is really more of a mid-to-low-rotation roll of the dice at this point. They also acquired veteran Colin Rea as a swing man option.

That top-of-rotation impact starter, however, never materialized.

Cubs Rotation Not Potent Enough?

Some will argue that the Cubs will be just fine with the starting crew they have and with Justin Steele and Shota Imanaga atop the rotation.

Eno Sarris of The Athletic, however, may beg to differ.

Sarris recently compiled his ranking of 151 major league starting pitchers and the Cubs’ starters didn’t rate all that well. Mind you, this was for fantasy league purposes, but the ability and perceived worth of the ranked pitchers does directly correlate to their actual real world performance.

Per Sarris, here is the ranking of the six Cubs listed:

35. Justin Steele
36. Shōta Imanaga
98. Matthew Boyd
122. Jameson Taillon
133. Ben Brown
140. Javier Assad

Averaged out, the Cubs starters sport a no. 94 ranking. That’s not very good for a team with deep postseason aspirations. By comparison, the starting crew of the NL Central Division rival Milwaukee Brewers averaged a 89.8 ranking.

Quantity over Quality?

The Cubs certainly have the horses for the race. There are a number of capable starting pitchers on the roster who can take the ball and do a fine job every fifth day. The operative word in that statement, though, may be “fine.” There’s a case to be made that the Cubs don’t really have a proven shutdown ace, other than Steele– and some may even dispute Steele’s “elite” status.

Hope Springs Internal?

Michael Cerami of Bleacher Nation seems to share some of that skepticism regarding the Cubs rotation.

Per Cerami:

“For the starting rotation, the group has depth. There’s no doubt about that. Running down the list, you could reasonably go 9-10 guys deep before you’re just truly rolling the dice: Steele, Imanaga, Taillon, Boyd, Javier Assad, Collin Rea, Jordan Wicks, Ben Brown, Cade Horton, Brandon Birdsell. But at the top? And in the middle? They’re missing something – impact, velocity, top of the rotation upside.

Steele and Imanaga are legitimate, playoff-caliber starters. But after that, there is a whooooole lot of hoping. Hoping that Jameson Taillon is more like the guy he was last year than the guy he was in 2023. Hoping that Matthew Boyd’s eight starts in 2024 are a good sign of what he’ll do in 2025. Hoping that the prospects step up or that Craig Counsell can help this roster gobble up innings with a collection of middling arms the way he often did in Milwaukee.

That’s (partly) why they tried to sign Roki Sasaki or trade for Jesus Luzardo.”

At this point, it seems most likely that the Cubs will go with the starting pitchers they have and hope that a young player, like Brown or Horton, surprises with a breakthrough season. They’ll simultaneously be hoping that none of their established starters have an “off” season.

Time will tell if the Cubs’ inability to land a top-of-rotation starter will haunt them this season.

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The Chicago Cubs went about filling a lot of roster holes this offseason in a bid to make the playoffs for the first time since the abbreviated 2020 season.

They mostly filled those holes with established veterans.

Kyle Tucker came over in a trade from the Houston Astros. Closer Ryan Pressly, also from the Astros, came over in a separate trade. Then there were free agent acquisitions such as starting pitcher Matthew Boyd, reliever Caleb Thielbar, catcher Carson Kelly, and utility man Jon Berti, among others.

However, there’s a well-stocked farm system right below the major league level with, arguably, an alternate hole-filler for every veteran the Cubs picked up this offseason. And, by most accounts, they’re nearly ready to ascend to the big leagues, with most firmly planted in Triple-A.

What Do You Do With All This Major League-Ready Talent?

That reality will make for some tough decisions in the weeks and months ahead, as well as difficult choices to make headed into the 2026 season.

“(A lot of) our young position player prospects finished (last season) at Triple A,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell told The Athletic. “That means you kind of expect all of them — or a bunch of them — to break through. Some of them did — [Kevin] Alcántara we saw at the end of the year. Matt Shaw, [Moises] Ballesteros, Owen Caissie — I expect all those guys to make their big-league debuts at some point this year. They’re the depth this year, and those are exciting depth pieces. Not maybe traditional, but that points to some of the health of the organization.

“We’re going to need one or multiple of those guys to surprise us this year. And probably one of them — or multiple of them — will play more than we’re projecting right now. So you’re going to need success from (them).”

Some Have Already Broken Through

A few of those young stars are already in the majors. 22-year-old Pete Crow-Armstrong will be the team’s starting center fielder. 23-year-old Porter Hodge will be the Cubs’ setup man behind Pressly after serving as the closer at the end of the 2024 season. Ben Brown, 25, seems likely to make the big league roster and will push for a starting rotation spot.

Meanwhile, Cubs top prospect Matt Shaw will get first dibs at the starting third base gig if the Cubs don’t pull off a fairly unlikely (maybe) grab at veteran all-star free agent Alex Bregman.

The 23-year-old Shaw has demolished minor league pitching since being drafted no. 1 by the Cubs in 2023 and has already worked his way through every level of the minors. He’s also shown improved work with the glove, easing into the third base position in anticipation of the Cubs having third base needs.

It seems like a no-brainer that Shaw will be given every opportunity to be the team’s third baseman…if Bregman is not in the picture. Management, though, aims to make Shaw– and everyone else– work to win their job.

“It will be a competition this spring,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer told The Athletic. “I don’t think we’re in the world of anointing a rookie and just giving him a job. He’s going to have to win a job. But certainly there’s real opportunity there.”

Chicago Cubs Logjam Will Force Some Tough Decisions To Be Made

The question will be whether the Cubs will be able to give that opportunity to all of the young players who might be ready to go.

Caissie and Alcantara seem to be odd men out in the outfield, despite possibly being able to start right now in some major league outfields. Ballesteros is a hitting savant without a real position, other than a tentative grasp at catcher. James Triantos is a second baseman, possibly third or fourth in line at his position. Pitcher Cade Horton will have to wait on injury or perform nearly flawlessly to fight his way into the major league starting rotation.

This overabundance is a good problem to have, of course, but it’s a problem nonetheless.

Do the Cubs start trading some of their young talent, who don’t have a direct path to the majors, for other needed pieces? Do they let some of their veterans go to make way for the young assets? Do they kick the can down the road and wait on veteran contracts to expire before plugging in the new blood?

Big decisions are fast approaching.

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The Chicago Cubs front office made another move toward shoring up the team’s bullpen ahead of the 2025 season on Tuesday. Ryan Brasier was acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers, making him the third reliever brought in by the organization this offseason.

Ryan Pressly will serve as Chicago’s new closer, and Eli Morgan will be a important depth arm that can work in various situations for Craig Counsell in his second season as the Cubs skipper. The Cubs stable was super shaky in 2024, and having a lack of depth to go along with never having a true ninth inning option until it was too late made it difficult for the team to improve their win total from 2023.

Porter Hodge was a nice surprise from the farm system who came up and pitched well in first major league stint to close out last season. It was made apparent by Jed Hoyer that Hodge would need some help late in ball games for 2025, and that has been addressed over the past couple of weeks. With the big moves for the bullpen likely out of the way, there still is one area that the front office should look into before the season officially starts.

Ryan Brasier locks in the back end of the Chicago Cubs bullpen

Brasier made 29 appearances out of a loaded Dodgers bullpen in the 2024 campaign. Across 28.0 innings, the right-hander posted a 3.54 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP to go along with his 1-0 record. Brasier will be 37 years-old for most of this season, but he has shown that he can still get it done for a club in high leverage situations.

Prior to his two and a half years with the Dodgers, Brasier had an over six year stay with the Boston Red Sox. He knows what it’s like to play for a historic franchise and to pitch in relief on the big stage. Brasier should slot in nicely as Chicago’s seventh inning arm this season behind Hodge and Pressly when it’s all said and done.

The Ryan Brasier trade means different things for two free agents

With Brasier coming over from the Dodgers, that makes a reunion with veteran right-hander David Robertson unlikely. The 39-year-old is still up for grabs in the free agent market and his contract should be reasonable enough to where the Cubs could bring him in, but a spot in the bullpen just doesn’t seem available for Robertson at this point.

Robertson made 36 as the Cubs primary closer in 2022. He posted a 2.0 WAR and a 2.23 ERA to go along with a 1.04 WHIP. He pitched in 40.1 innings before being traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for Ben Brown at the trade deadline.

Another veteran arm who is a former Cub that actually has a shot to return to the team despite this trade is Andrew Chafin. Chicago still needs left handed bullpen depth and the 34-year-old could fit the mold of what the front office is looking for on a short term deal.

Chafin spent parts of 2020 and 2021 with the Chicago Cubs before being traded to Oakland at the 2021 deadline. He was a staple for Chicago’s bullpen in the first half of the 2021 season, throwing 39.1 innings. He made 43 appearances and finished his time with the organization in 2021 with a 2.06 ERA.

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The Chicago Cubs front office is shoring up the bullpen with a plethora of options before pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training on February 9. Ryan Pressly coming over from the Astros in a trade to be the newest Cubs closer is the biggest move that has been made to the bullpen over the past few seasons, but more needs to be done to solidify the group for 2025.

One issue that remains a focus for the Cubs with the current state of their bullpen is their left-handed depth. Luke Little is one of the few notable lefties who could compete for a spot on the Opening Day roster, but his health issues and inconsistency in general on the mound raise some concern from the coaching staff.

In an effort to address the left-handed relief pitching depth in the organization for Spring Training, the Cubs agreed to a deal with an arm who has experience pitching at the big league level with the club.

The Chicago Cubs have signed Brandon Hughes to a minor-league deal

Patrick Mooney reported that the Cubs agreed to a minor league deal with Hughes on Friday. The left-hander spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons with Chicago at the big league level and found plenty of success in his first season with the team.

In 2022, Hughes tossed in 57 games out of the Cubs bullpen and held a 3.12 ERA. He threw 57.2 innings with a 1.09 WHIP and he finished the campaign with a 2-3 record. Hughes was a bright spot of a Cubs bullpen that saw plenty of turnover from the season prior. David Robertson was the team’s closer until being sent to Philadelphia at the trade deadline for Ben Brown.

Hughes used his slider to be extremely effective in his first MLB season, and it was a big reason why he earned an opportunity to be on the roster right out of the gate in 2023. Unfortunately for the former Michigan State Spartan, his second year with the Cubs didn’t go according to plan. He had a 7.24 ERA in 17 outings out of the bullpen to go along with his brutal 1.61 WHIP. Hughes dealt with multiple injuries in 2023 but was still able to toss 13.2 innings in those 17 games.

He had similar struggles with Arizona in 2024, posting an 8.15 ERA in 15 appearances for the Diamondbacks. Hughes’ 1.93 WHIP in the desert was by far the worst in a season in his career and is a major reason why a minor league deal was the best he could do ahead of 2025.

Hughes should not be the last lefty the Chicago Cubs pursue

The Hughes signing is a pure flier for the Chicago Cubs. The front office still needs to find an option who will be a guarantee to make the Opening Day roster and they could turn to another familiar face in free agency to fill that need.

Andrew Chafin spent parts of 2020 and 2021 with the Cubs before being traded to Oakland at the 2021 deadline. Chafin showed out in a big way out of Chicago’s bullpen in the first half of the 2021 season. He made 43 appearances and finished his time in Wrigleyville with a 2.06 ERA. Chafin’s 39.1 innings on the mound came with an impressive 0.84 WHIP that earned him a trade to a contender.

The career journeyman has bounced around over the past couple of seasons, but his familiarity with the Cubs could be a reason why he comes back to serve as a stable left-handed option for the team in 2025.

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The Chicago Cubs farm system is loaded with talent, but some of the team’s young pitching assets spent a good portion of last season sidelined with injury.

Specifically, top pitching prospects Cade Horton and Ben Brown found themselves shut down after early season injuries. Brown had already dazzled in the majors at the time of his setback. Horton, meanwhile, was targeted for a quick rise through Triple-A and a few late-season appearances in Chicago.

The 25-year-old Brown, who suffered through nagging and season-ending neck problems, has received medical clearance this offseason to resume full-speed training.

The 23-year-old Horton, rehabbing from a subscapularis strain in his right shoulder, is just starting to get back into the groove with some touch-and-feel bullpen sessions. Like Brown, he’s expected to make a full recovery.

Cade Horton’s Fall

The Cubs’ 2022 first-round draft pick and current top pitching prospect, had some frustrating growing pains last season, as he tried to pitch through injury, further exasperating the strain that would eventually end his season in late May.

“That is tough, because I’m always the guy that’s wanting to go until I break,” Horton said at the Cubs Convention on Saturday. “Just having those people around me to be like, ‘No, let’s do the smart thing. You have a whole career ahead of you.’ That’s what I’ve really learned. You should say something and get right, because it’s hard to go out there and pitch if you aren’t feeling good.”

Horton is no stranger to injury-provoked setbacks.

Cade Horton’s Rise

In 2021, while still in college as a freshman Oklahoma Sooner, Horton had Tommy John surgery, which cost him more than a year of his burgeoning career. When he did come back, though, he was brilliant as he struck out 13 over 7.1 innings in the title game of the College World Series.

With just a few college innings under his belt, Chicago raised some eyebrows by drafting him no. 1. His quick rise through the Cubs system, however, seems to validate the team’s confidence in him.

By all accounts, Horton is the real deal and many feel that he’s elite.

Chicago Cubs Have An Asset In Horton

Per Josh Illes of North Side Baseball:

“When I look at Cade Horton, I see an ace. He’s the best Cubs pitching prospect since Mark Prior. Many folks have said both of those things; I’m not the first, but whenever I hear that, my mind immediately goes to the fact that if that is true, then Horton is the best prospect in the system…

His stuff is electric. He has a plus fastball with good movement that sits around 95 mph but can touch 98. His slider is downright nasty at around 86 mph with a hard break, a pitch that he is unafraid to throw in or out of the zone. He also throws an average curve and changeup, either of which should be capable of being developed into a quality third pitch in his arsenal.”

Up until now, Horton has lived up to expectations and has advanced quicker than anticipated. Health remains a concern for a young man already sporting a rebuilt arm, but he’s certainly saying all the right things when it comes to where his focus is aimed.

“I’m just wanting to find a seat on the plane and help my team win,” Horton said. “That’s my job at the end of the day, is to go out there and get outs, whether that be in the bullpen, whether that be starting. It really doesn’t matter to me. I want to help the Chicago Cubs win, and that’s my goal.”

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With pitchers and catchers reporting next month, the Chicago Cubs still need to add a couple of arms to their bullpen for the 2025 season. Not many relievers on the free agent market have been signed, which gives the front office plenty of chances to bring in the pieces needed to put the team in a position to compete this season.

Out of all the options remaining, an old friend could be of help to the Cubs this year.

The Chicago Cubs could look to sign David Robertson

Robertson coming to Chicago would be a reunion for the veteran right-hander. After spending the 2024 season with the Texas Rangers, Robertson is in search of a new home for 2025. He spent part of the 2022 season with the Cubs before being traded to the Phillies at the trade deadline in exchange for right-handed pitcher Ben Brown.

Robertson made 36 appearances out of the Cubs bullpen in 2022 and had a 2.0 WAR. He posted a 2.23 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP across 40.1 innings tossed as Chicago’s primary ninth-inning option prior to the deadline.

While things have changed on the coaching staff and slightly in the front office over the past two years, Robertson’s success in the Windy City could make the Cubs look his way in 2025. Robertson’s familiarity with the organization could also bode well if they do look to pursue him in the coming weeks.

The right-hander did alright for himself in his lone season with the Rangers. Robertson appeared in 68 games and tossed 72.0 innings in 2024. He finished the year with a 3.00 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP as a consistent option for the defending World Series champions.

David Robertson would help young bullpen arms on the Chicago Cubs

The Cubs bullpen was a complete roller-coaster a season ago. The coaching staff entered the season riding high with how Adbert Alzolay finished 2023 as the team’s closure. Alzolay did not show any signs of his old self once the 2024 season got underway and found himself on the IL which ended his season after a brutal first month.

Young right-hander Porter Hodge eventually got the reigns in the dog days of the summer and made a name for himself as a potential future asset to end the season. The 23-year-old made 39 appearances out of the bullpen and possessed a staggering 1.88 ERA in 43.0 innings tossed. Hodge collected nine saves in his first big league stint to pair with his 0.88 WHIP.

Despite the success from Hodge at the end of last season, he can’t have the weight of the world on his shoulders entering 2025. A veteran presence or two is needed at the back end of the stable to provide the insurance and depth that Chicago did not have a year ago.

Along with the idea of bringing Robertson aboard, arms like Kirby Yates or Kyle Finnegan are guys that the Cubs should be looking into adding. After last year’s bullpen collapsed time and time again, the lesson has been learned that you can never have enough help in relief.

Even if Hodge is the long-term answer in Chicago as their closer, it would not hurt to bring in a mentor or two to help him deal with all of the aspects that come with being a big-league stopper. Robertson’s price tag shouldn’t be too obnoxious, and his connections to the Cubs make him a suitable candidate to join the bullpen ahead of the 2025 season.

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The Chicago Cubs went into the offseason in search of another starting pitcher to shore up their already-solid rotation.

The 5-man crew of Justin Steele, Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon, newcomer Matthew Boyd, and Javier Assad stands to be a solid rotation, building upon their status as one of the better rotations in the league.

Behind that 5-man staff, however, is another 4-man staff of potential fill-ins. Newly-acquired veteran Colin Rea heads a backup crew that also includes youngsters Jordan Wicks, Cade Horton, and Ben Brown.

Brown Could Be The Man

The 25-year-old Brown, especially, carries some big-time potential headed into the 2025 season and could turn out to be that impact starter the team’s been looking for.

The 6-foot-6 right-hander dazzled and overpowered at times last season, before having his season shut down due to a neck injury that just would not go away.

Up until the injury, Brown had posted a 3.58 ERA in 55.1 innings, including a 3.23 ERA in eight starts. The numbers would’ve been even better had the nagging neck injury not hampered his last couple of appearances.

The Cubs gave Brown medical clearance to resume training at full speed earlier this offseason and the hope is that he’ll be mound-ready by spring training. If so, he could very well earn his way into the rotation.

Justin Steele Says Brown’s A “Stud”

Cubs’ ace Justin Steele has a home near the Cubs’ Mesa training complex and has been keeping tabs on Brown’s progress. He’s impressed.

“Ben Brown … that dude’s a horse,” Steele recently said on the North Side Territory podcast. “He’s in the weight room, doing the stuff that he would normally do. (We had) conversations when all that stuff was going on with his neck. When the player doesn’t really know what it is, it can affect you mentally. It makes you not want to do stuff because you don’t want to make it worse.

“Just to see him being the spring chicken that he is, doing the lifts, throwing with full effort, and having that personality that he always had, it’s just fun being around him. Watching him throw his bullpens and go through his work, you know the guy is going to be a stud if he gets a full season under his belt.”

Brown came to the Cubs from the Philadelphia Phillies in an August, 2022 trade for relief pitcher David Robertson. He had earned his way into status as the no. 8 prospect in the Cubs loaded farm system in 2023 before getting a call to the big league in 2024.

Still A Work In Progress?

Although struggling with control at times and working to increase his arsenal, the young prospect’s raw talent and dogged attitude always managed to shine through. The belief among many is that Brown has finally figured things out and, if he stays healthy, could be a high-end major league starter. When right, he’s been an absolute beast.

“It’s kind of a relentless attack,” Cubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy said of Brown last season. “He’s coming at you.”

It’ll be interesting to see what the Cubs do if/when Brown shows that he’s ready for a spot on the starting rotation. Will the front office choose to trade the more mildly talented Assad or maybe veteran Taillon (and his $18 million salary) to make room for Brown? Will they adopt a 6-man rotation to include Brown? Maybe they’ll keep him in the bullpen as a swing man, at least for one more season as he gains experience and works on being a more sturdy player.

Whatever the case, Ben Brown is coming.

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The Chicago Cubs have the potential to be great this season and that could happen with a strong starting rotation.

The Chicago Cubs have made great acquisitions this offseason with adding Kyle Tucker to the roster being the biggest move they’ve thus far. Kyle Tuckers acquisition along with the other moves the Cubs have made and the potential moves to be made when the season starts put the Cubs in the conversation of possibly being a playoff team this season. That dream will hinge on one key element of the Chicago Cubs roster that will give them the best shot to do that.

An emerging monster of at the top of the starting rotation

The Chicago Cubs have the potential to have one of the best starting rotations in the National League this season. With emerging stars and potential Cy Young award winners Shota Imanaga and Justin Steele leading the way that has a real possibility of happening.

According to FanGraphs they project the Cubs to possible incorporate a six-man rotation for this season. The Cubs will have rookie phenom and All-Star Shota Imanaga be there Ace for this season. Imanaga getting crowned the moniker of Ace in just his second season in Major League Baseball is impressive to say the least and it’s all thanks to a stellar rookie season. Imanaga in his rookie year went 15-3 with a 2.91 ERA with 174 strikeouts in 173.1 innings. For 2025 Baseball Reference projects that in 2025 Imanaga will pitch 147 innings and finish with a record of 11-5 and strike out 144 batters.

Following Imanaga in the rotation will be Justin Steele who Baseball Reference projects to go 8-6 with a 3.29 ERA in 145 innings. Steele also has the potential to be great this season as well and possibly be in the Cy Young race, like he was for the 2023 season in which he finished fifth.

The three four spots in the rotation

For the third spot in the rotation the Cubs will have the 33-year-old Jameson Taillon who had a solid season for the Chicago Cubs in 2024. In 28 starts Taillon had a 12-8 record with 125 strikeouts with a 1.131 WHIP in 165.1 innings of work. Taillon enters into his third year of a four-year $68 million deal, and he will look to replicate the season had in 2024 and bring it to 2025 which Baseball Reference projecting Taillon to go 10-8 with a 3.93 ERA in 158 innings.

In the fourth spot of the rotation the Chicago Cubs will use left-hander Matt Boyd who the Cubs signed two-year $29 million with a mutual option for 2027 of $15 million. The 34-year-old is working his way back from Tommy John surgery and made just a handful of starts for the Cleveland Guardians in 2024. For 2025 Matt Boyd is projected to 5-5 with a respectable 4.06 ERA in 82 innings pitched.

The backend and potential swing men

Leading the way for the fifth spot is the 27-year-old Tijuana, Mexico native Javier Assad. Assad in my opinion is an under the radar pitcher to watch for the Chicago Cubs this season. Since debuting with the Chicago Cubs back in 2022 Assad has career ERA of 3.40 in 294 innings. In 2024 for the Cubs Assad had a really solid year for his development with making 29 starts going 7-6 with a 3.73 ERA with 124 strikeouts in 147 innings of work. Assad is projected to throw 135 innings with an ERA of 3.60 and a record of 7-6.

Potential bids for the sixth spot for the Cubs rotation are recent signee Colin Rea who signed a one-year deal and the 25-year-old Ben Brown who is coming back from an injury that had him miss most of last season. If the Chicago Cubs could add one more top of the rotation pitcher to pair with Shota Imanaga and Justin Steele to give them a solid one, two, three. And if the tandem of Taillon, Boyd, Assad, Rea, and Brown can all just give decent levels of production, the Chicago Cubs can certainly be looking at a playoff berth this season.

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The Chicago Cubs front office has already declared the team to be “all in” when it comes to winning and getting into the post-season this year.

The Chicago Cubs, “All In”

So far, that “all in” attitude has been highlighted by a trade for Houston Astros’ legitimate impact player Kyle Tucker, rehabbed Cleveland Guardians left-handed starting pitcher Matthew Boyd, and some other mid-to-small additions.

But what if a deal came along that would put the Cubs over the top– a deal so transformative that the goal of a playoff bid would instantly morph into World Series expectations.

The Chicago Cubs, World Series Blockbuster

Matthew Trueblood of North Side Baseball is pushing that needle of expectations in a recent trade proposal he published involving the Cubs and the budget-questionable San Diego Padres.

In it, he has the Cubs receiving former Cubs prospect and current Padres ace RHP Dylan Cease and RHP Robert Suarez while sending the Padres OF Owen Caissie, RHP Ben Brown, and either RHP Javier Assad or LHP Jordan Wicks in return.

Per Trueblood:

“This deal would make the Cubs about $24 million more expensive in 2025, and it would push in even more of the organization’s chips on the success of this season. Cease will become a free agent after the campaign, one for which he’ll be paid roughly $14 million in his final season of arbitration eligibility. The Cubs could try to sign him to an extension, of course, but as with Tucker, the chances of that feel slim. With another season similar to the one he just put up in San Diego, he’d be in line for an extremely lucrative free agency, probably topping $200 million in guaranteed money.

Suarez, meanwhile, will make $10 million as a base salary, with incentives likely to push that figure to anywhere from $11-13 million if he serves as the primary closer—a likely outcome. After the season, he has a two-year, $16-million player option, so if he pitches well, he’s likely to become a free agent, and if he gets hurt or goes off the rails, he’s likely to be a long-term budget item with limited utility.

That’s the bad news. The good news in this deal would be that Cease and Suarez would make the Cubs clear-cut NL Central favorites and a fairly imposing playoff opponent even for the Mets, Dodgers, and Phillies.”

Yes, indeed. That’s a lot to take in.

Does It Make Sense?

On the surface, there’s a great temptation as a Cubs fan to want to snatch it up and invest everything in winning this year. This deal brings in the top-of-rotation starter the front office has reportedly been pursuing and, also, a likely favorite to take the closer role.

The following year would be a sad one, though, as Cease and Suarez, as well as Tucker, ride off into the sunset and into the arms of big market teams that spend like big market teams. But 2025 sure would be fun.

None of the three Cubs dealt to the Padres in this deal are expected to be major impact players in 2025, so there would be no immediate impact felt this coming season. However, Assad, Wicks, and Brown are talented young arms profiled to contribute to the franchise for years to come. Caissie, meanwhile, profiles to be a true power hitter– one of the few potential home run kids in the Cubs’ organization.

If Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer is a gambling man, he very well could roll the dice on a deal like this and truly go “all in.” Hoyer, however, doesn’t seem to be THAT much of a gambler.

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The Chicago Cubs could make the playoffs for the first time in five years and they need a strong starting rotation to do just that!

If the the Chicago Cubs are to be a great team this coming season and break the five year playoff drought they are currently in they will need to have their starting rotation be a main pillar of their success in order to have that hope become a reality.

Who will lead the Cubs starting rotation?

Shota Imanaga figures to lead the Cubs and be the anchor for this rotation to lean on in order to be their stopper if they find themselves in the midst of a skid. Shota Imanaga had what I would classify as a stellar first season in Major League Baseball after coming over from the NPB League in Japan. Going 15-3 with a 2.91 ERA and finishing in the top five in both the Cy Young and Rookie of the Year voting, Imanaga is already an Ace after his first season.

Imanaga will be followed in the rotation by homegrown lefty Justin Steele, who the Cubs could look to ink a contract extension with at some point this year. With Jameson Taillion, Matthew Boyd, and with potential options in Javier Assad and Ben Brown vying for the fifth spot in the rotation, the Cubs are rather deep in starting pitchers.

The Cubs still could look to add to the rotation

With MLB insider and columnist for The Athletic Sahadev Sharma definitively stating that the Cubs will indeed add another starting pitcher in the coming weeks with declaring:

“Whether it’s a trade in the coming weeks or a late free-agent signing before the spring, it seems inevitable that one more starting pitcher will be added,”

The Cubs could add a starter ranging from adding another Ace to pair with Shota Imanaga at the top of the rotation and they could look to trade for Pablo López of the Minnesota Twins or Sandy Alcántara of the Miami Marlins both of whom are on the trade block. Adding both López or Alcántara would really solidify the Cubs as having one of the best rotations in baseball. The Cubs have the prospect capital to get a trade for either of those players done with having made outfield prospects Owen Caissie and Kevin Alcántara available in trade negations.

Jameson Taillon has been a good starting pitcher throughout his career and has been just that for the Cubs as well as being durable, pitching in a total of 319.2 innings in his two season with the Cubs. Though Taillion is a solid option for the Cubs having him in the fourth spot in the rotation with Matthew Boyd rounding it out is a great backend.

What if the Cubs don’t add like Sharma says?

If the Chicago Cubs don’t indeed add another pitcher as Sharma says they will, they do have pretty solid options internally to round out the staff. Javier Assad figures to be the main go to option for the fifth spot in the rotation with having the most reps there amongst all the options available.

A starter with a seven pitch mix with having a fastball that he can sink, cut, and ride up in the zone. Also carrying in his arsenal a changeup, a slider, a sweeper, and a curveball Javiar Assad has plenty of options to get hitters out. Having a strong showing in 2024 in which he made 29 starts, Assad went 7-6 with a respectable 3.73 ERA, with 124 strikeouts, a pretty high WHIP with it being 1.401 which he needs to lower, all in 147 innings of work, Assad is poised to has a strong showing in 2025.

The young 25-year-old right-hander Ben Brown who the Cubs acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies which sent them closer David Robinson, Brown could be a viable option for the starting rotation as well. Having tremendous upside with the potential of being a number two starter if he can figure it out, Brown’s rookie season was cut short last year with going down with a neck injury. This winter Brown was cleared to restart his regular throwing program and will compete with Assad this spring for the fifth spot.

Even though Brown had his season cut short last year, he did flash his potential while he was healthy. Starting eight games for the Cubs (appearing in 15) Brown had a record of 1-3 with a ERA of a 3.58, 64 strikeouts, with a WHIP of 1.084, in 55.1 innings Brown hopes to prove he can stay healthy for a full workload this season.

Brown has really great swing and miss stuff with having a fastball that can get up to 96mph, Brown ranked in the 88th and 87th percentiles for whiff percentage (31.4%) and K percentage (28.8%). If Ben Brown can stay healthy and add a fourth pitch to his fastball, curveball (knuckle-curve), and changeup to give hitters another thing to think about would give the Chicago Cubs a great weapon.

The Chicago Cubs can really be great this year

If all things do click this season for the Cubs like superstar outfielder coming back from his injury and having an MVP type season and carry this offense is crucial to the Cubs winning. As well as Seiya Suzuki and Michael Busch expanding their power to provide protection for Tucker in the lineup will also be key. However, the starting rotation first and foremost staying healthy and having a strong season from all that will be in it is the glue that will hold this team together. If the Cubs can have all this happen, good things are in store for them come the 2025 Major League Baseball season.

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Before Thursday’s series finale in San Fransisco, the Chicago Cubs announced that starting pitcher Javier Assad will hit the 15-day injured list. He was diagnosed with a right forearm extensor strain and will likely be out a few weeks. Assad is the latest Cubs pitcher to fall victim to injury, as rookie right-hander Ben Brown and rookie left-hander Jordan Wicks are already on the IL. This comes after Justin Steele spent all of April on the IL after injuring himself in the season opener in Texas.

Assad, 26, has been somewhat of a breakout pitcher in the starting rotation this season. The right-hander is currently 4-3 with a 3.04 ERA in 16 starts. He’s actually been a heck of a lot better than these numbers show, considering he is 0-2 with a 5.49 ERA in his past four starts, likely due to his forearm issue. However, in his other 12 starts he is 4-1 with a 2.27 ERA while striking out 61 batters in 63 1/3 innings. Aside from his rough start to June, he’s been solid.

Javier Assad was signed by the Cubs as an international free Agent in 2015. Making his debut in 2022 for the Cubs, Assad has worked out of the bullpen while making spot starts up until this season when he earned a regular role in the starting rotation. He has been one of the Cubs top weapons this season in a starting rotation that has had to be nearly perfect due to an abysmal bullpen and a sputtering offense. Assad’s absence will surely be felt by the Cubs.

What’s next for the Chicago Cubs?

The Cubs are running thin on options with the aforementioned Brown and Wicks both still injured. The Cubs could continue to use right-hander Hayden Wesneski as a starter and wait out Brown and/or Wicks’ return. Wesneski has mostly been used out of the bullpen this year, or as the opener in a “bullpen game” where the Cubs use a number of different arms to get through innings.

Another option is to use the veteran Drew Smyly as a starter temporarily. He has only pitched out of the pen this season, but in the two years prior he has made 45 combined starts for the Cubs. Chicago could also bring an arm up from Triple-A Iowa to either start or take the spot of Smyly in the bullpen if he were to slot into the rotation. There are no ideal solutions here, the Cubs just need arms to eat up innings at this point until starters begin to get healthy.

#Cubs Javy Assad is going on the 15-day IL with a right forearm extensor strain. They’ve signed RHP Vinny Nittoli who will take his spot on the roster. Also, Yency Almonte has been moved to the 60-day IL.

— Taylor McGregor (@Taylor_McGregor) June 27, 2024

Chicago Cubs make corresponding move

The Cubs did sign a veteran reliever today to take Assad’s place on the roster, per Taylor McGregor. Vinny Nittoli, a right-hander, has bounced around the league for four years. He comes to Chicago from the Oakland Athletics where he’s made seven appearances in 2024, striking out five batters in eight innings and posting a 2.25 ERA. He will provide added depth to a struggling bullpen that has by far been the team’s weakest link this season.

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The Chicago Cubs have traded David Robertson to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for Ben Brown.

With just a few hours remaining before the trade deadline, the Chicago Cubs traded their 37-year-old closer to the Philadelphia Phillies. Robertson was on a one-year deal with the Cubs and it seemed the club had planned to trade him at the deadline all along.

The Philadelphia Phillies have acquired right-hander David Robertson from the Chicago Cubs, sources tell ESPN.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 2, 2022

Robertson is the third bullpen piece that the Cubs have traded. On Monday, the Cubs sent Scott Effross to the New York Yankees. That trade gave the Cubs the Yankees’ #7 prospect, Hayden Wesneski. Robertson yielded Ben Brown from the Phillies. Brown is a top prospect for the Phillies, but his ranking in their system seems up in the air.

Source confirms High-A RHP prospect Ben Brown coming to Cubs in deal sending closer David Robertson to Phillies. No. 26 on @MLBPipeline's PHI prospect lists, but that's low. Will be higher when update lands. No. 7 for Phillies per Baseball America.

— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) August 2, 2022

Brown has spent the 2022 season with the Phillies’ high-A associate. He has maintained a 3.08 ERA in 73 innings so far this season. Brown is the first prospect that the Cubs have landed before the deadline that isn’t near MLB readiness.

Fans should be satisfied with this return for David Robertson. The Cubs are expected to make several moves before the deadline at 5 pm CT on Tuesday.

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