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.

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Chicago Cubs right-hander Cade Horton exited his start on Friday with apparent forearm discomfort and will head to the injured list.

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Manager Craig Counsell said Horton will stay with the team one more day and travel back to Chicago for imaging. According to Counsell, Horton said he felt discomfort start in his right wrist, which moved up into his forearm. It was ultimately Horton’s decision to stop pitching, as to not do any further harm. 

Craig Counsell said Cade Horton felt discomfort in his wrist that moved to his forearm, and he will travel to Chicago to get it checked out.

An upcoming roster move is likely. https://t.co/oVdej2xNVf pic.twitter.com/oZ9lGdSsWe

— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) April 3, 2026

The Cubs will make a roster move in the coming days with Horton going on the injured list. The Cubs have until April 8 before Horton’s spot comes up again. Horton was 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA and had four strikeouts in 7.1 innings.

Despite Cade Horton’s injury, the Chicago Cubs have options

Since the Cubs need another quality starter to fill in for Horton, they need to look no further than Javier Assad. Despite having a great spring, a 1.35 ERA in three games, Assad was optioned to Triple-A due to not having a spot.

Since joining the Iowa Cubs, Assad has struggled, allowing seven earned runs in seven innings (two starts). Even though Assad hasn’t done well, he’d be a quality inning-eater if and until Horton returns.

Right-hander Ben Brown is another option to fill in for the short term. Brown has done well out of the bullpen, having a 2.70 ERA and eight strikeouts in 6.2 innings.

However, in 114.2 innings as a starter, Brown has struggled, posting a 5.26 ERA. Since Brown’s stuff is more suited for the bullpen, the Cubs bringing up Assad and keeping Brown where he is seems like the best plan.

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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.

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The Chicago Cubs have a pretty deep roster in the starting rotation and throughout the lineup. This level of depth is good to have.

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However, with bona fide big leaguers getting relegated to the minors, the Cubs should look to trade these players to get some value back.

Right-hander Javier Assad |

Despite Javier Assad doing well — a 1.35 ERA and eight strikeouts in 6.2 innings — the Cubs didn’t have a place on the 26-man roster for him. A swing-man (both a starter and reliever), the Cubs already have right-hander Colin Rea to fill that role.

Rea had a 3.10 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 20.1 innings. Right-hander Ben Brown will also make the Opening Day roster, offering Counsell another swing-man option. 

Assad also had no place in the starting rotation. Left-handers Matthew Boyd and Shota Imanaga, and right-handers Cade Horton, Edward Cabrera, and Jameson Taillon will be the starting five to begin the season.

Assad will likely get work in the Iowa Cubs rotation to keep him ready to start in case of an injury.

Assad is now out of minor league options, and barring injury, won’t be up anytime soon. A bona fide big league arm, the Cubs could get value back in a trade for him.

Outfielder Kevin Alcantara |

Kevin Alcantara is the Cubs’ fourth-ranked prospect, but he also doesn’t have a spot on the big league roster. A primary centerfielder, Alcantara can play the corner outfield spots as well.

Rightfielder Seiya Suzuki’s knee injury created an opening to make the team, but veteran outfielder Michael Conforto secured the last spot. Alcantara did have a good spring, batting .275 with two doubles, a home run and four RBI in 13 games.

Alcantara’s future as the Cubs’ everyday centerfielder is out, with Pete Crow-Armstrong’s reported extension. Right field and leftfield could open up next year for Alcantara to play, with leftfielder Ian Happ and Suzuki entering their walk years.

A promising young outfielder, Alcantara could also bring back value in a trade to further deepen the Cubs’ roster.

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Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell made the news official on where outfielder Seiya Suzuki and right-hander Javier Assad will begin the season.

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According to Counsell, via Marquee Sports Network, Suzuki will start the season on the injured list (knee), and Assad got optioned to Triple-A. Suzuki injured his knee while sliding into second base playing for Japan in the World Baseball Classic.

In four World Baseball Classic games, Suzuki hit two home runs, drove in five RBI, and walked six times. In 6.2 innings (three games), the 28-year-old Assad had a 1.35 ERA and eight strikeouts. Assad had a 4.50 ERA in two games with Mexico during the World Baseball Classic. 

Seiya Suzuki will start the season on the IL, and Javier Assad was optioned to Triple-A, Craig Counsell announced today. pic.twitter.com/JTfCan9RQd

— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) March 23, 2026

Other Chicago Cubs need to step up in Seiya Suzuki’s absence

Suzuki is one of the Cubs’ main power hitters — smashing 32 home runs last season — which leaves a void that others need to fill. First baseman Michael Busch (34) and centerfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (31) were the only other 30+ home run hitters last season.

Busch and Crow-Armstrong will provide decent pop, but others will need to step up. Shortstop Dansby Swanson hit 24 home runs last season and hit nine combined between April and May. The Gold Glover also has two home runs and nine RBI this spring.

Third baseman Alex Bregman will also need to provide some pop — hitting 18 home runs last season and two this spring. Bregman had 11 home runs between April and May last year. Like Swanson, Bregman also has two home runs.

Sadly, the Chicago Cubs didn’t have a place for Javier Assad

Despite him doing well, the Cubs didn’t have a place on the 26-man roster for Assad. A swing-man (both a starter and reliever), the Cubs already have right-hander Colin Rea to fill that role. Rea had a 3.10 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 20.1 innings.

Assad also had no place in the starting rotation. Left-handers Matthew Boyd and Shota Imanaga, and right-handers Cade Horton, Edward Cabrera, and Jameson Taillon will be the starting five to begin the season. Right-hander Ben Brown will also make the Opening Day roster, offering Counsell another swing-man option. 

Assad will likely get work in the Iowa Cubs rotation to keep him ready to start in case of an injury.

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The Chicago Cubs are moving through their last week of spring training, fine tuning some things, and hoping for the best as they head into a 2026 season where big results are expected. Things, however, haven’t gone exactly as expected.

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The Cubs’ run of bad luck may have continued on Friday night in a split squad 6-2 loss to the Athletics at Hohokam Park in Mesa, Arizona.

Javier Assad pulled from game

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Starter/swingman Javier Assad had to be pulled from the game by manager Craig Counsell in the bottom of the eighth inning, 50 pitches into a relief appearance, with an apparent finger injury. Video replays subsequently showed that injury to likely be a blister-related issue.

Assad, who recently turned 28, had been having a very good spring, along with a very solid run in the World Baseball Classic as part of Team Mexico. His work this offseason seemed to bolster the case for him making the Opening Day roster, despite chatter that being one of the few Cubs pitchers with minor league options could have him opening the year at Triple-A Iowa.

As of this writing, there’s been no update on the injury or on what, exactly, it was, although it pretty clearly shows it to be a blister. The timing of this setback, though, will have big implications on whether Assad breaks spring training with the big league Cubs or finds himself starting the regular season in the minors.

This latest bit of bad news shows one more crack in the foundation of what many saw as a pretty deep and solid starting rotation. While Assad wasn’t expected to make the starting five, he was expected to be a valuable swingman and one of the key backups in case of injury or poor performance.

Taillon’s struggles continue

One of the biggest rotation concerns this spring is Jameson Taillon, who has been getting bashed around during Cactus League play to an alarming extent. The veteran starter, who will be eligible for free agency at the end of this coming season, started Friday’s game with the Athletics and delivered another disappointing outing. Despite four initial shutout innings, 2 home runs in the fifth accounted for 3 earned runs in those 4 innings pitched (although his 6 strikeouts were a nice sidebar). The 34-year-old ends the spring with a 0-4 record and a 17.55 ERA in 5 games and 13.1 innings pitched.

Needless to say, this is not the lead-in to 2026 that Taillon or the Cubs wanted.

An Assad injury just complicated issues further as it possibly takes one of the key backup options off the table for an undisclosed period of time.

As of right now, the Cubs 5-man rotation still seems to be locked in with Matthew Boyd, Cade Horton, Edward Cabrera, Shota Imanaga, and Taillon. Colin Rea and Assad stand as swingmen who can step in as starters. Justin Steele, meanwhile, is due back around May-June after season ending elbow surgery last April.

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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, on Thursday, named Matthew Boyd their Opening Day starter. It was the safe, reasonable choice to make considering Boyd’s 2025.

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The veteran lefty came to the Cubs as a bit of a free agent gamble last season, coming off a long history of injury and Tommy John surgery in mid-2023. Originally targeted for 110-120 innings as a back-end-of rotation starter, Boyd exceeded all expectations and performed his way into being the ace of the staff with a 3.21 ERA in 179.2 innings over 31 starts.

So, yes, Boyd was the logical choice for Opening Day.

That designation, though, probably paints a clearer picture for the rest of the rotation order.

Boyd on Opening Day, and then what?

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The Cubs would probably want a power right-hander coming after the more nuanced lefty. That means probably Cade Horton, but it could also mean newcomer Edward Cabrera. Then, maybe, another nuanced lefty in Shota Imanaga. After that, either Horton or Cabrera, whoever didn’t land the no. 2 spot in the rotation. That would leave Jameson Taillon as the no. 5 starter.

A probable rotation might look like this (although, obviously, the order could easily be all scrambled up behind Boyd):

Matthew Boyd
Cade Horton
Shota Imanaga
Edward Cabrera
Jameson Taillon

Things get a bit more complicated, however, when Justin Steele returns after being on the shelf, recovering from elbow surgery last April. Upon his comeback (expected before mid-season), someone will have to be booted from their rotation spot. Who gets the boot will be determined, obviously, by who has been the least effective at the time of Steele’s return.

One also has to consider the fact that the Cubs have a pair of very capable swingmen in Javier Assad and Colin Rea, with Ben Brown also having starter potential. Assad has been having a killer spring so far and Rea performed admirably in the rotation last season, making up for the injury-related absences of Steele, Imanaga, and Taillon.

A Plan B, Plan C?

Some have theorized that Chicago could possibly go with a 6-man rotation for at least part of the season, given their depth and the need/desire to preserve arms for what they hope to be a deep postseason run.

They could also piggyback starters for a stretch of time, maybe pairing two for a single game, utilizing all of their nine potential starters to deliver multi-inning outings and save wear and tear on a staff that does have considerable injury and durability concerns. Although this strategy might end up taxing the bullpen disproportionately, essentially forcing a small handful of dedicated relievers to cover almost all relief innings.

Whatever the Cubs decide, the elephant in the room will always be the staff’s health and durability concerns. Boyd, Horton, and Cabrera have significant history of injury. Taillon and Imanaga spent a good amount of time on the IL last year. And Steele, of course, is coming back from major elbow surgery.

An ace in the hole may be top pitching prospect Jaxon Wiggins, who some are hoping could be the Cade Horton of 2026, moving up from the minors to win a spot in the Cubs rotation. There’s also hope that lefty Jordan Wicks can get healthy and finally put it all together for a good major league run.

For now, all the Cubs can do is lay down their pieces and play them. Soon enough, everyone will know whether a Plan B or C is necessary.

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The Chicago Cubs’ depth in the area of starting pitching has been well documented. If everyone stays healthy and performs up to expectations– and that’s a big “if’ – they could be carrying as many as 10 possible big league starters on their roster.

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Right now, the rotation seems to be Matthew Boyd, Cade Horton, Edward Cabrera, Jameson Taillon, and Shota Imanaga. At some point, by mid-season, ace Justin Steele should be fully back from elbow surgery and ready for a spot. That would give the Cubs six capable starters, plus Colin Rea, Ben Brown, Jordan Wicks, and Javier Assad in reserve.

As things are currently playing out, though, the 28-year-old Assad may have complicated that plan.

Assad is killing it this spring

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Assad, following an injury-marred 2025 that kept him off the big league roster until August 12, is healthy and killing it this spring. He’s thrown 4.1 impressive, scoreless innings in Cactus League play and most recently pitched 3.2 scoreless innings in a start for Team Mexico against Great Britain in the World Baseball Classic.

The native of Tijuana has been an overlook asset for the Cubs, often relegated to being an afterthought in the team’s starting rotation plans. He’s been consistently successful, though, posting a 3.43 ERA over 4 years and 331 innings as both a starter and reliever.

Many feel that Assad may begin the 2026 season at Triple-A Iowa, only because he’s one of the few Cubs pitchers with minor league options remaining. He’s been so sharp this spring, however, that he may force his way on to the big league Opening Day roster.

Some might say that he’s also making a serious bid for a rotation spot.

Complicating the Cubs’ Plan A

“You don’t know what’s going to happen right now,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters. “You’ve got Plan A. It’s, ‘How long can you be on Plan A?’ At some point, you’re going to have to go to a different plan. That’s why more than the [13 MLB pitchers] is really important. And then, just how we handle building out the team, that’s not set in stone by any means.”

There still seems to be some reluctance to give Assad a full-on starter gig. The reason for that is probably tied to underlying metrics and what those numbers say about a pitcher who is clearly not an overpowering thoroughbred stud.

But if he keeps succeeding, there HAS to be a spot for him. And there’s enough history behind him to suggest that his past successes were not flukes.

“Somebody like Javy, the point is, you don’t try to figure out where they fit,” Counsell said on Saturday. “We don’t have to do that. At some point, we’re going to need Javy’s outs. When, is probably the question. But we want him pitching well and obviously he’s shown the ability to get big league hitters out and at a pretty high level.”

At some point, the Cubs will need Assad and what he brings to the team. The only question seems to be how long before he gets the spot he’s earned.

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The 2026 World Baseball Classic is upon us and this is a time where players put aside their MLB team differences and battle it out for their country. Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Javier Assad is the first starting pitcher for the team to take the mound, as he pitched for Team Mexico in their opening game of pool play against Team Great Britain. Let’s take a deeper dive into his outing and discuss how he looked throughout.

Javier Assad pitches well in his World Baseball Classic start vs Team Great Britain

Assad was given the start in the opening game of pool play for Team Mexico, and he did not disappoint. He is not built up for a long outing and would throw 3.2 shutout innings before being pulled. He allowed two hits with one walk and a pair of strikeouts over his 51 pitches. He would face 13 batters throughout the game and look impressive against Team Great Britain, with MLB hitters littered throughout their lineup. His performance helped Mexico get a lead before blowing it open with an 8-2 win.

Assad will not be able to pitch until the final game of pool play due to throwing 50+ pitches, it is unclear if he will get a second start with Team Mexico. He is competing to make the Cubs’ starting rotation in the majors, as he is battling for the fifth starter role. He has options remaining, so there is a chance Assad will be pitching in Triple-A to begin the season as well.

It will be intriguing to see if this is the only game Assad will pitch for Team Mexico during the tournament or if he will get a second outing in his second World Baseball Classic.

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The Chicago Cubs made some very notable additions this offseason, acquiring pitcher Edward Cabrera via trade and signing third baseman Alex Bregman in free agency.

The Cubs are expected to contend for a World Series this year, and while the Los Angeles Dodgers are the obvious favorites, Chicago is talented enough to make a run, especially considering the depth of its starting rotation.

Because the Cubs’ pitching staff is so deep, Chicago could ultimately move one of its pitchers in a trade, and Javier Assad has been tabbed as someone who could get dealt.

Assad has been solid for the Cubs since entering the big leagues in 2022, but because his stuff isn’t too overpowering, it looks like he’ll be on the outside looking in when it comes to Chicago’s five-man rotation heading into 2026.

In fact, Nick Deeds of MLB Trade Rumors feels that Assad could be a trade target for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Could the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies match up on a trade?

The Phillies are looking to add some pitching depth of their own after losing Ranger Suarez to free agency and with Zack Wheeler still recovering from thoracic outlet syndrome, and Deeds feels they could comprise a good match for Assad.

“Looking around the league, there’s certainly a handful of teams with an excess of optionable starters who could fit the Phillies needs,” Deeds wrote. “The Cubs (Javier Assad), Dodgers (Landon Knack), Tigers (Keider Montero) and Giants (Hayden Birdsong) are among the teams with optionable starters who have notable big league experience but are likely to be squeezed out of the club’s rotation entering the year.”

Assad owns a lifetime 3.43 ERA over 78 career outings and 54 starts, allowing 3o4 hits while registering 271 strikeouts over 331 innings of work.

Again, the right-hander’s stuff is not going to wow anyone, but he has been very reliable due much in part to his ability to keep the ball int he yard. Assad owns a career 1.1 HR/9, and his knack for inducing ground balls makes up for his rather ugly 1.99 K/BB.

The 28-year-old probably wouldn’t fetch much in a trade, but if the Cubs can squeeze a decent prospect out of the Phillies for Assad, it’s something they may want to consider.

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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 had been eyeing hard-throwing right-hander Edward Cabrera for quite awhile, with buzz linking them to the Miami Marlins pitcher dating back to early last season. This offseason, they pulled the trigger on the trade to bring him aboard.

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The 27-year-old Cabrera will join a Cubs starting rotation that includes Matthew Boyd, Cade Horton, Jameson Taillon, Shota Imanaga, and returning ace Justin Steele, who may be back from elbow surgery sometime around the All-Star break.

If/when everyone stays healthy and Steele stays on schedule, this will give Chicago six viable starters, plus two capable swing men in Colin Rea and Javier Assad along with long shots Ben Brown, Jordan Wicks, and top pitching prospect Jaxon Wiggins waiting in the wings.

Uncertainty in Cubs’ pitching depth

More News: Chicago Cubs rotation is “deep in meh and unexcitement” says brutal ZiPS projection

On paper, this seems to be an embarrassment of riches. In reality, though, there’s a lot of uncertainty up and down the rotation, especially when it comes to durability. Boyd, Horton, and Cabrera all have significant history of injury. Steele is coming off major elbow surgery. Meanwhile, Taillon and Imanaga both spent significant time on the IL last season.

So, what can the Cubs do to preserve their arms and ensure that their best starters make it to the postseason?

Some have suggested a move to a 6-man rotation, which would give each pitcher an additional day of rest between starts.

It’s more likely, though, that manager Craig Counsell and company may look to an NL powerhouse, the World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers, for the answer.

Adopting the Dodgers model

The Dodgers’ rotation was strained throughout the majority of the regular season due to injury, with only Yoshinobu Yamamoto delivering more than 112.2 innings as a starter.

But Los Angeles was judicious with the return of injured/recovering starters Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell, and even Shohei Ohtani. Careful and conservative with their respective comebacks, they were able to reintroduce all three to the rotation just in time for the pennant push and, more importantly, the postseason.

The strategy paid off as Yamamoto and the reasonably fresh threesome of Glasnow, Blake, and Ohtani accounted for more than 68% of the innings pitched in the postseason in another winning World Series run for the Dodgers.

Justin Steele

It’s not hard to imagine the Cubs following that blueprint with their own rotation, especially with Steele, who could be key to the team’s postseason success. Over the last four years, Steele has been Chicago’s most reliable and effective starter, posting a 3.18 ERA over 82 starts in that period of time.

“It’s just one of those math equations you’re going to have to do,” Steele said of the timeline for his 2026 return, “because Dr. Meister [Steele’s surgeon and supervising physician] is going to probably have some innings limit [in mind].”

“That definitely eases your mind,” Steele added, referring to the Cubs’ rotation depth and the lack of rush to get him back in the mix, “knowing that it’s not a race to get back for Opening Day or something…So there’s definitely some comfortability knowing that I don’t have to rush.”

Given the Cubs’ starting pitching depth, it’s quite possible that the team could have multiple starters on an informal innings limit over the course of the season, maybe capped at four innings or so, with Rea, Assad, Brown, or Wicks serving as second-half-of-game starters to finish things off.

With this plan in place, the Cubs could walk into the playoffs with a solid core of fresh and effective starting pitchers and, subsequently, a fresh, rested bullpen as well. Last postseason, Chicago wilted in the NLDS, dragging along a taxed rotation that had been whittled down to two viable pitchers.

While the Cubs don’t have the mega-bank studs that LA has, this conserve and preserve strategy definitely would give them stronger footing if/when they make their 2026 postseason run.

The post Chicago Cubs to adopt Dodgers strategy for Justin Steele and rotation? appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs recently committed $13 million across three different pitchers, all of whom were arbitration eligible. Those three players, Justin Steele, Edward Cabrera, and Javier Assad were the only arbitration eligible players remaining, after Eli Morgan and Reese McGuire were non-tendered earlier this off-season.

Chicago Cubs commit $13 million to arbitration eligible pitchers Justin Steele, Edward Cabrera, and Javier Assad

According to multiple reports, Steele will be receiving $6.775 million in 2026, Cabrera $4.45 million, and Assad $1.8 million. Steele and Cabrera both agreed to one year deals whereas Assad also received a team option for 2027.

The Cubs have avoided arbitration with RHP Edward Cabrera ($4.45 M), LHP Justin Steele ($6.775 M) and RHP Javier Assad ($1.8 M), sources confirmed.@JesseRogersESPN was first on Cabrera, @PJ_Mooney on Steele.

— Maddie Lee (@maddie_m_lee) January 9, 2026

For reference, Steele earned $6.55 million a season ago, Cabrera, who was just recently acquired via trade, $1.95 million with the Miami Marlins, and Assad under $1.0 million as this off-season is his first time being arbitration eligible. Cabrera’s salary as he moves through two more additional seasons of arbitration will be worth monitoring. If he performs well this year, another big pay jump could be in store.

All three pitchers are expected to play important roles in 2026. Steele is continuing his rehab from elbow surgery, but when healthy, he is a true top-of-the-rotation arm. Cabrera also brings considerable upside and is coming off an impressive season in which he posted a 3.53 ERA. Meanwhile, Assad has consistently delivered strong results when called upon, making him a dependable option in the Cubs’ pitching mix.

The post Cubs commit $13 million to trio of arbitration eligible pitchers appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs definitely need an ace in their starting rotation, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have excessive dept in their pitching staff.

The Cubs are actually pretty loaded with good arms, so much so that someone will probably have to be the odd man out in 2026, especially if Chicago adds a big-name pitcher this winter. Could that unlucky pitcher be the ever-reliable Javier Assad?

Jordan Campbell of Cubbies Crib thinks so, questioning if Assad — who missed the vast majority of this past season due to an oblique injury — may be falling out of favor with Cubs brass.

“Unlike [Ben] Brown’s ability to miss bats, the Cubs may not believe in Javier Assad’s pitching profile anymore,” Campbell wrote. “That is likely one of the reasons why he was kept off the team’s playoff roster. Assad has minor league options remaining, and for that reason, he still has value to the Cubs. But another addition to the major league pitching staff will push him even further down the totem pole.”

Well, it’s also possible that Assad was left off the playoff roster because he only made seven starts in 2025, but it also stands to reason that Assad’s 5.6 K/9 rate over 37 innings of work was also rather unseemly for Chicago.

Could the Chicago Cubs trade Javier Assad?

Assad hit the big leagues back in 2022 and has been a dependable hurler for the Cubbies ever since, tallying a 3.43 ERA over 78 appearances and 54 starts.

Yes, his peripherals aren’t great. He owns a lifetime 4.46 FIP, 1.329 WHIP and 1.99 K/BB ratio. However, regardless of how questionable his other numbers look, you can’t argue with results, and Assad has been mostly impressive for the Cubs since entering the majors.

He is still just 28 years old and would definitely have value in trade talks, so perhaps Chicago could actually move him and get something decent in return for the right-hander.

An area in which Assad truly excels is inducing ground balls, which shouldn’t come as much of a surprise given that the sinker is his top pitch. It’s also why he is able to hang around in spite of not racking up strikeouts (career 7.4 K/9).

The Cubs may have to be careful what they wish for here, as Assad has been a reliable piece for several years running. But if they can find an intriguing trade package for him, they may decide to move him before the 2026 campaign.

The post Top Cubs player could surprisingly be on the chopping block appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs are in the odd position of trying to kick off a youth movement while also still pushing to compete for a championship.

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With an importance placed on clean books and budget flexibility, the Cubs organization has set up a future where young cornerstones are being laid– like Pete Crow-Armstrong, Michael Busch, Cade Horton, and Matt Shaw– while there’s enough available money to pick up whatever remaining pieces are needed to fill out the roster. This is assuming, of course, that the notoriously frugal ownership is willing to spend.

The coming season will be a pivotal one in Chicago’s plans as so much of the core roster is set to become free agents. Possibly gone after 2026 are Seiya Suzuki, Nico Hoerner, Ian Happ, Carson Kelly, Jameson Taillon, Matthew Boyd, and Shota Imanaga.

This future mass exodus underscores the need for the Cubs to establish a base of even more core talent, with years of team control ahead. However, it also underscores the need to go “all in” when it comes to winning this coming season, before the team loses so many mainstay assets.

Bringing in Tarik Skubal

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That’s where Tarik Skubal might come in, at least according to some.

Skubal, who presents a case for being the best pitcher in all of baseball, is set to become a free agent at the end of the coming season. His current team, the Detroit Tigers, will not be able to handle the monster payday coming his way and they won’t be able to outbid the suitors pursuing him. That’s why they are reportedly entertaining trade offers for their ace and looking for a haul of talent in return, convinced that they will lose him in free agency and only get back draft pick compensation.

Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report recently tied the Tigers with the Cubs in a Skubal trade proposal that may sound like straight-up fan fiction, but might actually make a bit of sense.

Per Reuter:

“The Cubs have a rotation filled with No. 3/4 starter types and lacking a bona fide ace, and while 2025 rookie Cade Horton has the potential to fill that role, adding a proven frontline starter this winter would make them legitimate title contenders.

After paying a steep price for Kyle Tucker last offseason, only to watch him walk in free agency, they would need to have some belief they would be willing to lock Skubal up with a long-term extension.

If there’s an all-in move to be made for the North Siders, this is it.”

The cost to the Chicago Cubs

In the proposal, the Cubs get Skubal in return for Chicago’s no. 2 prospect C/DH Moises Ballesteros, their no. 3 prospect RHP Jaxon Wiggins, no. 5 prospect OF Kevin Alcantara, and RHP Javier Assad.

Reuter makes the point that the Tigers, already in a position to compete for a playoff run, would value young, major league-ready talent that could be immediately placed on the field and contribute for years to come. The incoming haul of talent from the Cubs would provide just that, with Wiggins probably being the potential prized jewel of the deal.

Making it make sense

All of this should be prefaced by pointing out that the deal would only make sense if the Cubs were able to lock in an extension on Skubal before the deal was finalized. And, yeah, the Cubs should pay him the monster money he deserves as he comes off off back-to-back Cy Young seasons

The Cubs would be giving up a substantial part of their future by trading away three of their top five prospects and they might be in the very uncomfortable position of having to cough up $30 million+ per season for their incoming ace. But getting a chance to add someone like a prime 29-year-old Skubal as a foundation piece is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and the addition would look especially sweet after possibly losing Boyd, Taillon, and Imanaga following next season.

A monster deal like this would be exceedingly difficult to pull off, but it might be worth the price for the Cubs– both in terms of trade capital and money.

The post Chicago Cubs linked to Cy Young ace in wild, but not-so-crazy trade proposal appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs are going to be all about pitching this winter, at least that’s what Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer is telling the baseball world.

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That really shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, however, for those who paid attention to the pitching staff’s collective failings in the playoffs and the precarious road that got the team to the postseason.

Aside from the need to rebuild almost the entire bullpen due to free agency, the starting rotation now suddenly seems in peril with the Cubs declining their option on Shota Imanaga and Justin Steele being out until about mid-season, still recovering from elbow surgery last April. There’s also the feeling that Matthew Boyd and rookie phenom Cade Horton, who both have long histories of injury, could fall short of their 2025 excellence in 2026.

Although rumors abound regarding Chicago’s willingness to be big spenders in pursuit of free agent starting pitching this offseason, reality tells us that the frugal Cubs ownership will only open up the pocket book so wide. If free agents are acquired, they’re more likely to be fringe arms or reclamation projects. It’s probably more likely that any impact pitcher would be acquired via trade.

And that brings us to a deal that would make so much sense for both teams that it almost has to be explored.

Chicago Cubs must resume pursuit of this burgeoning ace

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The Cubs need to huddle with the Miami Marlins once again and get a deal made for 27-year-old right-hander Edward Cabrera.

This is hardly an out-of-the-blue idea. Lots of insiders and analysts have been talking up Cabrera-to-the-Cubs since early last season and the Cubs even kicked the tires on a possible trade for Cabrera prior to the trade deadline. Reportedly, the front office is still interested in Cabrera, too.

Per Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney of The Athletic:

“It would be surprising if the Cubs didn’t rekindle trade talks with the Miami Marlins, an organization that’s flush with pitching talent and looking to turn the corner into playoff contention.

The Cubs spiked a deal for Jesús Luzardo during the medical review portion last winter, and then circled back to the Marlins at the trade deadline. Multiple names were discussed, but the Cubs showed the most interest in Edward Cabrera…

The Cubs envision another level Cabrera could reach, especially through multiple years of working together in the same system.”

Edward Cabrera is on the verge of big things

Last season, the native of the Dominican Republic posted a 3.53 ERA over 137.2 innings and 26 starts. Many feel that 2025 was the year he turned the corner in his development and began to turn into the pitcher many felt he would become. If the Cubs are truly interested in adding a power pitcher to their rotation, Cabrera would be an ideal acquisition. As things sit right now, he’s already averaging over one strikeout per inning and his best may be yet to come.

The Cubs are also surely lusting over the fact that Cabrera is under team control through the 2028 season and will be making less than $2 million this coming season before becoming eligible for arbitration at the end of the year.

So, why would the Marlins be willing to deal someone like Cabrera, who’s making small-time money and still has three years before being eligible for free agency?

That’s the big question. But, by all accounts, the Marlins have been open to offers, possibly working under the belief that their surplus of pitching can be used to fill numerous other gaping holes in their roster.

Who the Cubs would have to give up

In the case of the Cubs, a deal for Cabrera would have to involve some high-end prospects and/or major league-ready young assets. Given the Marlins’ needs and the fact that they’re in rebuild mode right now, it’s possible that they might go for a package including outfield prospect Kevin Alcantara and first base prospect Jonathon Long, along with a lower-level young talent.

Alcantara is currently ranked no. 5 in the Cubs’ system while Long is no. 7. Long, especially, was a revelation in 2025, hitting .305 with 20 home runs and 91 RBIs in Triple-A Iowa.

Best of all for the Cubs, the deal would be relatively painless for them as Long’s path to the majors is blocked by first baseman Michael Busch and Alcantara seems to be lost in the outfield mix. Losing both wouldn’t mean all that much to Chicago’s long-term plans.

The Marlins, meanwhile, have been scrambling to find outfield depth and someone who could be their every day first baseman. Early last season, they traded Vidal Brujan to the Cubs for first base prospect Matt Mervis, looking for a possible first base solution. That didn’t work out so well for them. Both 23-year-olds, Alcantara and Long, are regarded as possibly major league-ready right now and could be plugged into the Marlins lineup on opening day.

It should be noted, though, that lots of other teams are reportedly interested in Cabrera, so the Cubs will have some stiff competition in their pursuit. They’d likely have to add some more honey to the pot to get this deal made, maybe even going so far as to add another top 12-level prospect or maybe even a big league roster name such as Javier Assad.

This pickup would be worth it, though. Cabrera represents both a 2026 asset as well as a building block for the future.

The post This Chicago Cubs trade would change everything for 2026 and beyond appeared first on ChiCitySports.

MLB’s first major offseason date, the tender deadline, is fast approaching. For the Chicago Cubs, no drama is expected, as they have just four arbitration-eligible players this winter. Barring a surprise, the front office is likely to handle the deadline with minimal movement and a straightforward set of decisions.

No Chicago Cubs drama is expected at the tender deadline

November 21 is the deadline for teams to tender contracts to players for the 2026 season. The decision typically impacts arbitration-eligible players the most, since their salaries are higher than those of pre-arbitration players. Anyone who is non-tendered becomes a free agent immediately afterward.

This year, catcher Reese McGuire and pitchers Justin Steele, Eli Morgan, and Javier Assad are the only Cubs players eligible for arbitration. According to MLB Trade Rumors, McGuire is projected to earn $1.9 million in 2026, Steele $6.55 million, Morgan $1.1 million, and Assad $1.9 million. All four figures fall well within a reasonable range, making it unlikely that anyone will be non-tendered as a payroll causality.

Of the group, McGuire is the most likely to be non-tendered. Chicago already has Miguel Amaya, Carson Kelly, and Moises Ballesteros on the 40-man roster, so keeping McGuire, who cannot be optioned to the minors, offers little roster flexibility.

Meanwhile, Steele and Assad are all but certain to be tendered contracts. There might be an argument to part ways with Morgan, whose 2025 season was derailed by injury, but given the significant turnover in the bullpen, it would be prudent for the Cubs to keep him on the roster.

Related: Cubs Pete Crow-Armstrong makes massive 2026 decision

With only four arbitration-eligible players and minimal tough decisions to make, the Cubs are poised for a quiet tender deadline. Non-tendering McGuire seems likely, while Steele, Assad, and Morgan are expected to return, providing stability and continuity as the team heads into the 2026 season. Overall, fans shouldn’t expect drama, just some routine roster management.

The post No Cubs drama is expected at the offseason’s first major date appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs were done by the end of the second inning in Saturday’s opening game of the NLDS versus the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field.

By the top of the third, a deflated Cubs team was already down 9-1 and focus shifted to a comeback in Game Two on Monday.

Actually, the Brewers’ brutal 6-run first inning probably sealed Chicago’s Game One fate– and that deathblow can be traced to one major error in judgment by Cubs manager Craig Counsell.

Working off three days rest for only the third time in his career as a starter, Matthew Boyd, who started the opening game of the Wild Card Series versus the Padres on Tuesday, was tabbed to be the starter for Game One of the NLDS versus the division rival Brewers. The lefty, by the way, was also warmed up in the ninth inning in the Wild Card Game Three on Thursday.

Flat, strained Matthew Boyd gets rocked

The 34-year-old came out and looked flat from pitch one, giving up three straight doubles and a walk before a crucial Nico Hoerner error at second. After giving up a single following the error, Counsell removed Boyd after 30 pitches, four hits, and a walk in two-thirds of an inning. By then, the game was already out of reach.

Boyd looking flat was understandable, given his workload this season after several years of injury-related inactivity. He hadn’t pitched over 100 innings in a season since 2019 and, coming into 2025, the Cubs were viewing 120 innings as a reasonable goal for their oft-injured free agent acquisition. As of Saturday’s game, Boyd has thrown 184.2 innings between the regular season and the playoffs.

Counsell’s reasoning for pitching Boyd, however, centered on the fact that he only had a 58-pitching outing in Wild Card Game One.

Counsell owns up

“We picked Matt Boyd to pitch,” Counsell told reporters after the loss. “I don’t know what to say. He pitched, it didn’t go well. We’ve got to make decisions. We went with Matt.

“We’re very comfortable — I was very comfortable — putting Matt Boyd on the mound today. The whole organization was comfortable putting Matt Boyd on the mound today.”

“Probably since Matthew got to the dugout in Game 1 [of the Wild Card Series], he was thinking about pitching this game,” Counsell added. “If this was a normal start and he threw 90 pitches, we wouldn’t consider this. But because he threw so few pitches, he knew he was going to be able to recover, and we thought he’d be able to recover quickly.”

It should’ve also been noted that Boyd had turned in some pretty bad numbers versus the Brewers this season, albeit in a small sample size. In his two 2025 regular season starts against Milwaukee, he had a 7.84 ERA in just 10.1 innings– easily two of the worst starts in an otherwise outstanding season.

Chicago Cubs had viable alternatives

Meanwhile, starter Colin Rea was left on the bench, allowed just 1.2 innings pitched this postseason so far after a very good end-of-season run to cap off a very solid 2025. Starter Javier Assad was left off the postseason roster entirely.

Either Rea or Assad would’ve been preferable over a stretched-out Boyd, even though Rea has put up some weak numbers versus his former team.

Jumping the gun on Boyd not only cost the Cubs Saturday’s game, but it also may have removed him from the rest of the NLDS– another brutal blow for a team already hurting from the loss of their hottest starting pitcher, Cade Horton.

Even a failed gamble in starting Rea in Game One would’ve allowed Boyd two extra days of rest for a go at Game Two.

Now, the Cubs’ backs are against the wall just as the series starts.

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The Chicago Cubs officially placed closer Daniel Palencia on the 15-day injured list with a right shoulder strain on Monday– a move that was hardly a surprise after leaving Sunday’s game in clear discomfort without retiring a single batter.

The 25-year-old right-hander came into the ninth inning of Sunday’s game against the Washington Nationals at Wrigley Field, looking to hold a 3-1 lead. Instead, he gave up a solo homer, a single, a walk, and then a three-run homer. After giving up a triple on his next pitch, he bent over in pain and slapped the mound dirt with his left hand in frustration. The Nationals would go on to win 6-3.

After manager Craig Counsell removed Palencia from the game, he was reluctant to make any definitive declaration as to the reliever’s status. It was widely assumed, however, that Palencia would be headed to the IL.

In a corresponding move, the Cubs recalled righty Ethan Roberts from Triple-A Iowa. Roberts has logged a 6.00 ERA over 9 innings pitched, divided over two separate and brief major league stints.

A Daniel Palencia timeline

When asked about Palencia’s status for the rest of the season and postseason, Counsell had no answers on Monday.

“I don’t think I know the answer to that question right now,” Counsell told reporters. “We put him on the injured list. We’re going to take these three days to treat him. And then Friday in Chicago, we’ll probably have a better idea what direction this is going to go.”

Palencia had been a godsend for much of the season, stepping into the closer role shortly after being called up from Triple-A in mid-April, replacing the ineffective Ryan Pressly. And, for about three months, the Cubs couldn’t have asked for a better closer.

Coming into August, he was sporting a brilliant 1.40 ERA with 14 saves.

Late-season struggles

However, things would change drastically. From August 1 to the present, including Sunday’s cataclysmic outing, Palencia has an 8.03 ERA in 15 outings. He has also given up 21 hits and 5 walks in 12.1 innings pitched over that period.

As it became apparent that he was struggling late in the season of his very first run as a full-time closer, the Cubs’ front office began taking heat for their inability and/or unwillingness to acquire a more experienced closer at the July 31 trade deadline. That heat has grown more intense following the full-on collapse and injury of the young closer.

“And that’s what happens when, at the deadline, you prospect hoard to the degree that you don’t get an established closer on a team at that point that knew ‘we’re probably going to the postseason,’” MLB analyst David Kaplan blasted on his REKAP podcast.

The Chicago Cubs’ plan B

For now, the Cubs have to devise a quick Plan B for the back end of the bullpen as the playoffs approach.

Brad Keller, who’s been excellent all season and hasn’t allowed an earned run since July 12, seems to be the logical choice for high-leverage outings. Behind him, Caleb Thielbar, Drew Pomeranz, and trade deadline acquisition Andrew Kittredge will likely be the most trusted trio. The injured Porter Hodge has also shown added life in his arm since returning to the major league roster.

Injured deadline acquisition Michael Soroka is reportedly close to coming back, and he should boost the depth of the bullpen upon his return. It was also just announced that Javier Assad would be shifted to the bullpen to make room in the starting rotation for the returning Jameson Taillon.

Counsell, though, appears set on a closer-by-committee arrangement and is focused on staying the course despite the loss of Palencia.

“It’s as simple as trying to get 27 outs. And however that lines up, it lines up,” Counsell said. “[The other relievers] don’t have to step up. They just have to continue doing what they’re doing. That’s the answer. The other guys in the bullpen, just keep doing what you’re doing.”

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The Chicago Cubs got some more bad news on Saturday when star center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong fouled a ball off his knee and eventually removed himself from the game.

The “oh no” moment came just days after star right fielder Kyle Tucker was removed from Tuesday’s game with left calf discomfort.

To make matters worse, both suffered their injuries just as they seemed to be crawling their way out of extended slumps. Tucker hasn’t played since Tuesday. Crow-Armstrong isn’t in Sunday’s lineup and is also listed as day-to-day, likely to sit out several games.

Tucker and PCA sidelined

“It’s new pain,” Crow-Armstrong told reporters after the frustrating 2-1 loss to the Nationals at Wrigley Field. “There’s definitely [stuff] that’s hurt worse, but this hurts. And the legs are just funny. That’s kind of how I help the cause on a daily basis, is with my legs. It was a good stinger, for sure.”

When it comes to Tucker, manager Craig Counsell is reporting some progress on the calf injury and feels that a stint on the IL wouldn’t be necessary.

“That’s what we’re dealing with is we think we have time to let this heal without putting him on the injured list,” Counsell said. “We think he’ll be ready before what an injured list [stint] would cost him. And we also, with having the extra player in September, feel like we’re not playing short, really. Don’t feel like, from a roster perspective, it hurts us at all.”

In the meantime, though, the Cubs will have to make do without two of their starting outfielders and, arguably, their two primary offensive assets.

The bad luck Chicago Cubs

If you’ve been following Chicago’s season even semi-closely, this latest double dose of bad news falls right into the pattern of Cubs 2025 bad luck.

Here are just some of the lowlights:

• They lost their ace Justin Steele in early April with an elbow injury, just four starts into his season. He’ll be out of commission until about mid-2026 at the absolute earliest.
• About a month later, they lost co-ace Shota Imanaga to a hamstring injury for close to two months.
• Workhorse starter Jameson Taillon has now had two separate stints on the IL, missing more than two months of the season.
• Starter Javier Assad suffered two oblique injuries in spring training that kept him down until August 12.
• Trade deadline pitching acquisition Michael Soroka only managed to last two innings in his first start as a Cub before going down with a shoulder strain.
• Kyle Tucker suffered a hairline fracture in his hand in June, which spiraled into a mechanical hiccup and led to a career-worst extended slump that lasted nearly two months.
• Tucker’s decline coincided with an almost team-wide slump that saw Crow-Armstrong, Seiya Suzuki, and Michael Busch all settle into a funk.
• Catcher Miguel Amaya, after having a breakthrough first half of the season, went down with an oblique injury that cost him almost three months. One game into his return, he suffered a freak accident hustling to first base and may be out for the rest of the season with a severe ankle sprain.

A team of destiny or despair?

It’s just been one of those seasons. And the recent Tucker and PCA setbacks fall right into that pattern of tough luck.

But, even with all the bad mojo floating around, the Cubs have still have the fifth best record in all the majors and are a lock to make the playoffs, likely as the NL Wild Card top seed.

So, what does that say about this 2025 team? Are they a potentially great team hobbled by misfortune or are they a very good team rising above the bad luck?

If you ask the Cubs, themselves, they’ll proudly talk up their resilience as a unit and their confidence in the team as a whole.

“We all go through hard times,” pitcher Matthew Boyd said, back when Tucker was at the height of his offensive struggles. “But that’s why there’s 26 of us in there. We pick each other up.”

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The Chicago Cubs’ primary objective this past offseason was the playoffs. That’s really no different than every other team. Everyone WANTS to make the postseason.

But the Cubs had made a point of declaring themselves “all-in” when it came to making the playoffs, their first time since the abbreviated 2020 season, hoping to actually get some playoff wins for the first time since 2017.

Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer made the team’s intentions clear by pulling the trigger on a 3-for-1 trade with the Houston Astros for multi-tool right fielder Kyle Tucker, who was in his last contract year before becoming a free agent.

The Chicago Cubs were “all-in”

The Tucker trade, specifically, told the team that the higher-ups were serious about winning this year.

And the team responded to the vote of confidence by playing like a serious postseason team. They bludgeoned their way into having the best record in baseball at one point. A recent slump, however, has brought the Cubs down to earth a bit and it cost them their first place standing in the NL Central Division.

But their eyes are still on the postseason, even though the route there may have to lead through a Wild Card spot at this point.

That’s why starting pitcher Jameson Taillon now finds himself on the 15-day IL.

Keeping an eye on playoff needs

Taillon, who had just come back from an extended stint on the IL with a right calf strain, experienced some tightness in his left hamstring during his last start on Sunday against the Angels, where he was pulled after just 5 innings and 62 pitches. Even after a subsequent bullpen session produced no extreme discomfort, manager Craig Counsell made the call to place the veteran righty on the IL.

Counsell was not shy about saying that the move was made with an eye on the playoffs.

“I think (Taillon) could go out there and pitch,” Counsell told reporters. “I just don’t think it’s the smart thing to do. We all agree on that. In a different situation, maybe we push this. I don’t think this is the right time to push that.”

Key rotation piece Matthew Boyd has been struggling of late and it has to be noted that he’s working to complete his first full, healthy season on the mound since 2019. Rookie Cade Horton, meanwhile, is at 122.2 innings this year, between Chicago and Iowa, far surpassing his previous season high 88.1 innings. Concern over his arm health already has him working under a loose pitch count.

Even with the previously injured Javier Assad coming up and injured trade deadline acquisition Michael Soroka aiming for a return before too long, the Cubs will need the experienced Taillon in the playoffs.

“In my mind, being a good teammate means taking the ball,” Taillon told media after the move to place him on the IL. “That’s really important to me. I hate going on the IL. But that being said, the way I had this presented to me was: ‘We’re playing for the long haul here. You’d be a bad teammate if you really pound the table and push through this and screw the team for what’s really important here.’

“If I made something worse, and I missed the last couple weeks of September or the playoffs, that’s not the right thing to do. Trying to have that longer-term view and that big-picture view is important.

“We have bigger goals in mind than the next two weeks. “Every game’s extremely important, which is why I have a hard time just accepting it. But hopefully we’re playing deep into October, and hopefully I’m a really big part of that. It’s important to get this right.”

The danger of looking too far ahead

However, while the Cubs seem to be playing it relatively safe in hopes of a deep playoff run, there’s still some concern about the regular season.

Chicago is only 1.5 games ahead of the San Diego Padres in the important first Wild Card spot, which would guarantee them home field advantage in the first round. They are only 4 games ahead of the New York Mets, who currently hold the third Wild Card spot in the National League. The Cincinnati Reds, meanwhile, are just 4.5 games behind the Cubs.

The Cubs are not yet guaranteed top seed in the Wild Card series and another prodigious slump could see them slip to third seed or, even worse, out of the playoffs altogether.

It’s hard to question Counsell’s decision to place Taillon on the IL. All things considered, it was the right move to make. But it was also a hefty gamble, considering all of the question marks following the team right now.

The post Could the Chicago Cubs’ eye on the playoffs lead to regular season disaster? appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs have bad news for their starting rotation as they continue to fight for a position in the postseason. One day after Matthew Boyd had his second consecutive frustrating outing in a row, Chicago revealed another starting pitcher was going on the 15-day injured list.

Per Taylor McGregor with the MLB Network, the Cubs placed Jameson Taillon on the 15-day IL for a left groin injury. Chicago is recalling right-handed pitcher Javier Assad to start against the Colorado Rockies on Saturday.

“Cubs place Jameson Taillon on the 15-day IL with a left groin injury,” McGregor posted on X. “Javier Assad has been recalled. He will start Saturday in Colorado.”

The Chicago Cubs are losing a key starting pitcher

Taillon last pitched for Chicago on Sunday when he gave up one run in 5.0 innings pitched in a 4-3 win over the Los Angeles Angels. He had a strong outing last week in the Cubs’ 4-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers when he gave up one run in 6.0 innings pitched.

Taillon has a 9-6 record on the season with an ERA of 4.15 and 81 strikeouts this season. The Cubs need to make sure not to push Taillon too hard in the regular season so he can be fresh for the postseason.

Assad has made three starts this season. He has a 0-1 record with a 3.86 ERA and nine strikeouts. Assad last pitched in the Cubs’ 3-2 win over the Angels, giving up one run in 6.0 innings pitched.

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The Chicago Cubs have a critical five-game series with their divisional rival, the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers recently had their 14-game winning streak snapped by the Cincinnati Reds. The Cubs are eight games out of the lead for the National League Central, but thankfully, they can make up some ground if they take three out of five games against the Brew Crew.

The Cubs will have their work cut out to start, as they will have to face the Brewers’ three best arms: Freddy Peralta, Brandon Woodruff, and Jacob Misiorowski. The Cubs will need to be on their game to win the series, and could have some help with a familiar face coming back into the bullpen.

Chicago Cubs make three roster moves ahead of the Brewers series

The Cubs, ahead of this critical series with the Brewers, made a few roster moves, with today being a doubleheader. According to Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times, the Cubs announced they had recalled left-hander Brandon Little from Triple-A, while right-hander Javier Assad was optioned. Right-hander Gavin Howell will serve as the 27th man for the Cube doubleheader today.

“Cubs moves before the doubleheader:

-Javier Assad optioned to Triple-A

-Luke Little recalled

-Gavin Hollowell is the 27th man”

Cubs moves before the doubleheader:
-Javier Assad optioned to Triple-A
-Luke Little recalled

-Gavin Hollowell is the 27th man

— Maddie Lee (@maddie_m_lee) August 18, 2025

Assad getting optioned comes as a bit of a surprise given their starting pitching situation, but after his two outings of failing to go more than four innings, the Cubs needed to make a move. The Cubs activated Assad on August 12 after he had dealt with an oblique strain.

Little should give a boost to the Cubs’ pen

Little, 24, should help give the Cubs an extra left-hander to challenge the likes of Christian Yelich, Sal Frelick, or Brice Turange if Caleb Thielbar, Taylor Rogers, or Drew Pomeranz can’t go. Little has made one appearance in the big leagues this season, which didn’t go well, giving up four walks and one earned run in 0.2 innings against the San Diego Padres in April.

While being relegated to the farm, Little has been better, pitching to a 2-1 record with a 2.77 ERA in 48.2 innings (35 games).

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The Chicago Cubs begin a three-game series in Toronto tonight against the Blue Jays, wrapping up a six-game road trip where they’ve gone 1-2 so far. The Cubs have done better to right the ship as of late, but they will have their work cut out for them, with the Blue Jays proving to be one of the better teams in the American League this season.

The Cubs made some adjustments to their roster ahead of their series with the Blue Jays, with some notable names getting reactivated from the injured list, and one name getting handed his walking papers.

The Chicago Cubs make four roster moves ahead of their series with the Blue Jays

The Cubs will be getting some much-needed reinforcements ahead of tonight’s game, with Javier Assad and Miguel Amaya getting activated from the injured list. To make room for Assad and Amaya, the Cubs designated utility man Jon Berti for assignment and optioned reliever Nate Pearson to Triple-A Iowa.

“Today’s roster moves”

Today’s roster moves presented by @NuveenInv: pic.twitter.com/Xq149qZCwi

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) August 12, 2025

Pearson getting optioned came as no surprise, being that he had been optioned already and hadn’t performed well enough to earn a spot in the bullpen. Berti getting DFA’d is disappointing, as the Cubs signed him to a one-year deal with the hope he’d be a big part of their roster. That didn’t happen, and through 51 games with the Cubs, Berti failed to be productive, hitting .210/.262/.230 for an OPS and OPS+ of .492 and 45.

Getting Assad and Amaya back is huge for the Cubs down the stretch run

Assad has missed most of this season with an oblique injury, which he sustained before spring training games were played. After working his way back, Assad is slated to start tonight’s game against the Blue Jays, per Marquee Sports Network’s Taylor McGregor.

“#Cubs reinstate Javier Assad from the 60-day IL. He will start tonight’s game against the Blue Jays.”

#Cubs reinstate Javier Assad from the 60-day IL. He will start tonight’s game against the Blue Jays.

— Taylor McGregor (@Taylor_McGregor) August 12, 2025

Getting Assad back will give the Cubs rotation a much-needed boost, as they did little to address it at the Trade Deadline, and their one acquisition, Michael Soroka, is now on the injured list. Getting Amaya back should also help the Cubs get back on track and give them another big bat in their lineup.

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The Chicago Cubs front office has taken a lot of heat in recent days for failing to acquire a much-needed front-of-rotation starter before the July 31 trade deadline. And there is definitely a point behind the criticism.

Almost from the very beginning of the season, with the loss of ace Justin Steele and projected fifth starter Javier Assad, the Cubs’ starting pitching sparked concern. Along the way, they lost Shota Imanaga to injury for several weeks and then Jameson Taillon. As the team headed into the most stressful and demanding part of what they hoped to be a run at the postseason, their rotation was looking strained and at the point of collapse.

Chicago Cubs banking on return of injured starters?

As things turned out, however, Cubs president Jed Hoyer and his crew didn’t end up acquiring that high-end starter to fortify their rotation. Instead, the only starting option they picked up was the oft-injured Michael Soroka from the Washington Nationals, a back-of-rotation/swing man who would subsequently be sent to the IL after just two innings pitched for the team.

Many believe that the imminent returns of the rehabbing Jameson Taillon and Javier Assad played a big part in the Cubs’ decision to play things conservatively at the trade deadline.

Well, it looks as though Assad, specifically, is very close to joining the major league squad once again.

Javier Assad’s latest rehab appearance

On Wednesday, the 28-year-old Assad made his latest rehab start for the Iowa Cubs, pitching 4.1 innings, striking out 4, walking 2, and allowing 1 earned run on 4 hits against the St. Paul Saints.

Reports have circulated that the righty, who has yet to make a single appearance in the majors due to struggles with an oblique injury, could be activated by the big league Cubs as soon as this weekend.

If he can stay healthy and return sharp, Assad should definitely provide a boost to the rotation as well as to the bullpen, depending on where the Cubs decide to use him. Last season, he logged a solid 3.79 ERA over 29 appearances in his first full season as a starter. In 294 career innings, he has a 3.40 ERA.

Assad could be penciled in behind Imanaga, Matthew Boyd, Cade Horton, and Colin Rea or he could be packaged with Ben Brown as a co-fifth starter option. He could also be used in the bullpen as a long reliever, to help eat some innings for a stressed relief corps.

Taillon’s comeback

The return of Jameson Taillon, who will make his second rehab start for the Iowa Cubs this Friday, is slated to happen after Assad and it should have even more of an impact on the pitching staff.

The Cubs’ veteran workhorse gave up 7 earned runs on 7 hits, with 2 home runs, over 3 innings pitched against the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians in his first rehab appearance. The good news, though, was that he reported no discomfort from the right calf strain that had kept him on the shelf since his last major league start on June 29.

The 33-year-old will definitely be given back his spot in the rotation, creating a bit of a logjam and forcing manager Craig Counsell to make some tough decision regarding the back-end of the rotation.

There is also the possibility that the Cubs could go to a 6-man starting rotation down the stretch to preserve arms for their expected playoff run. Workload concerns have arisen, especially when it comes to Boyd, who is coming off Tommy John surgery and hadn’t thrown more than 100 innings since 2019, and with rookie Cade Horton, who has been brilliant of late, but is coming off a season-ending injury last year and has already well surpassed his total innings pitched as a pro.

The Cubs are hoping that depth and flexibility will get them into the playoffs and deep into the playoffs. Right now, two pieces of the puzzle look to be close to their return.

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The Chicago Cubs are battling for the lead in the NL Central Division, but the red-hot Milwaukee Brewers don’t ever seem to lose. As things sit right now, the Cubs are two games behind the first place slot as they work their way through the crucial month of August.

Many believe that the team will only go as far as its pitching takes it. And that’s a somewhat troubling thought given the insecurities the Cubs have within their pitching staff.

Their chief concern is with starting pitching as the rotation has already been hobbled by injury with the loss of ace Justin Steele and the extended IL stints of Shota Imanaga and Jameson Taillon.

Good news and bad news in Jameson Taillon’s first rehab assignment

On Sunday, the Cubs got some good news mixed with some bad as veteran right-hander, Taillon, made his first rehab start on Sunday for the Triple-A Iowa Cubs.

The good news, of course, was that Taillon was well enough to get to that rehab assignment after a calf injury sidelined him following his June 29 start with the major league Cubs.

The bad news was that the 33-year-old got absolutely lit up.

Taillon gave up 7 earned runs on 7 hits, with 2 home runs, over 3 innings pitched against the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians. He also hit 2 batters in the 64-pitch outing.

Poor performance jars frustrated Chicago Cubs fandom

It was the kind of wild, rusty start to be expected from someone who hadn’t pitched in over a month and had no time to construct a game plan with advanced scouting info. But it was a jarring appearance nonetheless for Cubs fans still concerned about a strained starting rotation and still griping over the team’s inability to land a high-end starter at the trade deadline last Thursday.

After weeks of hearing about the front office’s aggressive mindset heading into the July 31 trade deadline and their “all-in” attitude about picking up the talent they need for a deep playoff run, the deadline haul was underwhelming. When the dust settled, the Cubs acquired back-of-rotation starter Michael Soroka, relievers Taylor Rogers and Andrew Kittredge, and infielder/outfielder Willi Castro.

Cubs post-deadline talking points have centered around the high price for available starters and the impending return of Taillon and Javier Assad, who would both be beginning rehab assignments in the minors.

That’s why a poor outing in Triple-A is sounding off so many alarms among fandom.

Taillon’s take

For Taillon, though, this first rehab outing was entirely about health and getting the feel for pitching to live hitters again.

“Obviously I would love to get results,” Taillon told the Des Moines Register. “The first one, I’m just glad to get it out of the way. You never want to get hit around, but first and foremost it’s health and then it’s getting back the routine…

“Being healthy and getting a pitch count in, going through the routine and getting the workload in, all that, I thought it was productive…I felt healthy. Now it’s just about getting back a routine, into the swing of things. But the calf is good…

“We’ll just see how the next one goes. Hopefully it’s better than this.”

The Cubs will start newcomer Michael Soroka on Monday night against the division rival Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field. The oft-injured righty takes a spot in a rotation already filled with pitchers dealing with limitations (or potential limitations) due to past injuries.

Taillon’s previous role as the rotation inning-eater and workhorse take on an exaggerated level of importance in a 5-man staff consisting of starters where pitch count is a very real concern.

Taillon is expected to make at least one more rehab appearance before joining the big league team.

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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.

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The Chicago Cubs’ pursuit of pitching before the July 31 trade deadline is the topic of almost all fan chatter.

Cubs president Jed Hoyer, by all accounts, is aggressively pursuing starting pitching as well as relief help and there’ve been Cubs ties to a number of arms over the last several days.

The team would like to add a high-end starter to a rotation that is firmly anchored with Matthew Boyd and Shota Imanaga, but then plagued with question marks the rest of the way. They’d also like to pick up a quality reliever to help bolster a bullpen that seems to be losing steam, quickly, as the season advances.

But could all (or most) of the Cubs’ pitching answers already be with the organization, just waiting to come back healthy?

Javier Assad is coming back

Last week, right-hander Javier Assad pitched 3 scoreless innings, striking out 6, in his first rehab outing at the Arizona Complex League.

Assad was injured and re-injured in the spring and hadn’t thrown a competitive pitch all season due to his oblique issue.

The next step in his comeback will be a rehab assignment with the Tripe-A Iowa Cubs in the middle of this week with the target being a possible major league return around mid-August.

“It’s been a tough season for Javy in terms of, you know, he was really injured most of spring training and his entirety of the season,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters. “But I think the thing to remember is that we have important baseball left and he can be a contributor.

“He’s on a good track right now, and I know it’s good to be around the team again and get you feeling like you’re close.

“I think we’re going to prepare him as a starter, but I think, yes, I think, you know, by mid-August … you certainly have to consider everything when you get to mid-August.”

Contributing to the Chicago Cubs success

Originally projected to be the Cubs’ fifth starter this season, the hope is that Assad, who has a 3.40 ERA over 3 seasons and 70 career appearances, can still contribute to a team that desperately needs pitching.

“Just trying to get back to my 100 percent,” Assad said Saturday, via translator. “Once I get back, just help in whatever capacity the team needs.”

But could that help come on the mound or as a valuable trade asset?

Flipping Assad at the trade deadline

Competition for high-end talent at this trade deadline is fierce and many seller teams, who don’t see themselves too far from being buyers themselves, are asking for field-ready players as part of any big-ticket deals.

Assad, who turns 28 this Wednesday, is certainly someone who can be considered a “field-ready” asset.

Hoyer and the Cubs just may find more benefit from Assad as a trade piece than from what he can give the team over the last month-and-a-half of the season.

For instance, could he be flipped to the Arizona Diamondbacks for third base slugger Eugenio Suarez, thereby allowing Chicago to retain some of their prospects, who can then be used for deals involving high-end team-controlled arms?

Then again, Assad is also a team-controlled arm, signed through 2028, with an established level of big league success, albeit not with a high-end arsenal of pitches.

The return of Jameson Taillon, which is also slated for mid-August, could diminish the importance of Assad’s return, likely pushing him into the role of long relief. If they could use Assad to help bring in an All-Star asset for a playoff push, that would be significantly more helpful to the team than whatever he’d achieve as an inning-eater in the bullpen.

The MLB trade deadline is this Thursday, July 31, at 5 p.m. central time.

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The Chicago Cubs come back from the All-Star break just one game ahead of the red-hot Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central Division and with some roster holes they’d like to fill before the July 31 trade deadline.

Chief among those roster holes is in the pitching department, where the starting rotation has been battered and strained due to injury and the bullpen could be fortified by the addition of at least one more impact arm.

But could the answer to at least some of the team’s needs come from within, in the form of assets returning from injury?

Chicago Cubs GM updates injury status of four key players

In a recent appearance on 670 The Score, Cubs general manager Carter Hawkins talked about the injury status of three key pitching assets– Javier Assad, Jameson Taillon, and Porter Hodge– as well as the status of catcher Miguel Amaya and a possible time frame for the return of all four.

Hodge, who went down with shoulder issues on July 9, may be ready for a return before everyone. He’s due to have a bullpen session tomorrow. Injuries have hampered the 24-year-old reliever’s 2025, which was expected to be big one after a stellar second half of 2024.

Per Hawkins, Assad and Amaya may be the next to return, with mid-August being a reasonable target date.

The 27-year-old Assad, who has missed all season with an oblique injury, is set to have his first rehab game next Thursday. Originally projected to be the fifth starter in the Cubs’ rotation, a return to anything resembling peak form will help the rotation tremendously during the upcoming dog days of summer.

The 26-year-old Amaya, who also went down with oblique issues, would be a welcomed return, both offensively and defensively, despite some quality fill-in work in his absence by Reese McGuire. He is currently taking live at bats and should probably get back into the mix before Assad.

“I think we’re looking at August for both of those guys,” Hawkins said of Assad and Amaya. “It would be really, really nice to have them back. Our catching group has done great since Miggy has been out, obviously Reese McGuire has been outstanding in terms of his ability to be our second catcher and Carson [Kelly] has had just a heck of a year.

“Obviously, the more starting pitching you can have, the better. And certainly, a guy like Javi that’s done it before and pitched in multiple roles will be great to have. We will get those guys back in rehab games soon and hopefully have them here in August.”

Bad news on Taillon?

The news on Taillon, however, seems to be less cheery.

The 33-year-old veteran, who played a huge role in eating innings in the middle of the Cubs rotation, suffered a right calf strain in early July and may be out of commission until September. He’s slated to begin throwing off a mound by the end of the next road trip.

Hoping on the returns

If Assad and Taillon can make successful comebacks from injury, the debate over acquiring a second starting pitcher for a pennant run at the trade deadline may be null and void. However, it’s a big gamble to fully count on the return of either and it would be wise to pursue additional starting pitching depth anyway.

Having Amaya back would represent an upgrade over McGuire in all areas and it would be a helpful addition for the Cubs down the stretch.

The post Chicago Cubs: Injury updates on three key pitchers and catcher Miguel Amaya appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs have had a stellar 2025 so far. But things have been getting dicey lately as a June slump has led to a shrunken lead atop the NL Central Division ahead of the surging Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals.

Injuries have certainly played a major role in bringing the high-flying Cubs back down to earth, even though the team was able to get by for awhile on the strength of their potent, versatile offense and a few surprising over-performances.

Injuries have hit the Chicago Cubs hard

Chicago’s pitching staff has especially been hit hard, with the loss of ace Justin Steele, who will be out of commission until next season following elbow surgery. Co-ace Shota Imanaga was also shut down for about five weeks with a hamstring strain. Projected fifth starter Javier Assad, meanwhile, has yet to throw a competitive major league pitch all season as he continues to struggle through an oblique issue. Reliever Porter Hodge has also spent significant time on the injured list.

On the position player side of things, the Cubs have been pretty blessed this year with no major injuries aside from that of catcher Miguel Amaya, who was put on the IL May 25 with a left oblique strain.

Cubs general manager Carter Hawkins recently appeared on 670 The Score’s Mully & Haugh Show and offered up, among other things, an update on the injury status of key Cubs roster members Assad and Amaya as the team works its way towards the All-Star break.

Cubs exec updates status of Assad and Amaya

“It’s reasonable [that Assad could still contribute this season],” Hawkins said. “He’s definitely had a slower return and had some slight setbacks, just as he’s gone through his process of getting back from the oblique…I think, with him, we’re not necessarily going to rush him. We want to make sure that we have the opportunity to have him through August and September, and that’s probably what we’re shooting for in terms of Javier right now.”

The Cubs exec would then address the status of the 26-year-old Amaya, who had worked his way into becoming a true high-end catching asset this season alongside co-starter Carson Kelly.

“A little bit sooner for Miggy,” Hawkins asserted. “He’s getting back into some real baseball activities right now and I think there’s a chance we could see him sooner than later…

“It would be great to have both of those guys, obviously.”

A return would be greatly appreciated

Although Reese McGuire has done very well as a catching sub for Amaya and the Cubs are projected to dip into the trade market for starting pitching, having both injured players back at full capacity would be a definite plus for the team and its chances of making a deep playoff run.

Amaya was batting .280 with 4 home runs at the time of his injury, while also coming into his own as a pitch caller and as a defensive asset.

The 27-year-old Assad, meanwhile, brings a 3.40 ERA with him across 70 big league appearances and 294 innings over parts of three seasons. If he can’t find a spot in the back of the Cubs rotation, his services would be greatly appreciated by a taxed bullpen as a long reliever with spot-start capabilities.

It’ll be interesting to see when/if Amaya and Assad come back and how their returns will impact a Cubs team currently spread thin.

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The Chicago Cubs sit in first place atop the NL Central Division and have showcased some real elite-level chops in the process, powered by a potent and versatile offense that ranks among baseball‘s best.

But no first-place lead is secure in mid-to-late June, and the Cubs have shown some signs of coming apart at the seams.

Specifically, the problem has been with their pitching.

Chicago Cubs pitching insecurity

The Cubs’ starting rotation has been battered and depleted. Ace Justin Steele went down in early April, lost for this season and beyond after elbow surgery. About a month later, the team lost co-ace Shota Imanaga with a hamstring injury. Before all of that, they lost projected fifth starter Javier Assad due to an oblique issue and have yet to get one competitive pitch from the righty.

In the bullpen, manager Craig Counsell and staff have managed to turn a ragtag group of mostly castoffs into one of the league’s best, from a liability to a strength. But, recently, the miraculous bullpen turnaround appears to be busting apart, with back-to-back poor games and a general feeling that the magic might be wearing off.

So, with that in mind, the focus will be fixed on pitching ahead of this trade deadline, where a Cubs team with serious postseason aspirations looks to be aggressive in acquiring missing pieces.

“Our position-playing group has been outstanding both offensively and defensively,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer recently told reporters. “That gives some clarity. Obviously, you don’t know what’s going to happen in the next month-and-a-half with that group. But right now, the focus would be on adding pitching and adding pitching depth. That would be the clear thing.”

But how much will the team need to acquire ahead of a pennant race and, hopefully, a deep playoff run?

A tall order before trade deadline

Realistically, the Cubs may need at least three big pickups before the July 31 trade deadline.

That flies in the face of the widespread belief that the team is just one front-of-rotation starter away from getting where they need to be in terms of pitching strength.

Imanaga returning to the starting rotation, as soon as next week’s series with the St. Louis Cardinals, is a big deal. But even with the Japanese star’s return, that only gives the Cubs three established starters to last through the dog days of summer and into a playoff run– Imanaga, Matthew Boyd, and Jameson Taillon.

Currently, the rest of the rotation is made up of a veteran swing man (Colin Rea), a rookie (Cade Horton), and a talented, but wildly inconsistent sophomore (Ben Brown).

The Cubs will need to trade for that front-of-rotation starter, but also, ideally, another proven back-of-rotation piece to solidify things down the stretch.

They will also need another high-end reliever, preferably a swing-and-miss lefty with closer potential, who can work in tandem with the relatively inexperienced 25-year-old Cubs closer Daniel Palencia.

Looking at the still-forming market

The question is now “who” the Cubs can acquire (as well as how much of their future they’re willing to trade away in pursuit of postseason play this season). Right now, with most teams still deciding on whether they’re sellers or buyers, there aren’t many names on the market.

“We’re in the information-gathering process still,” Hoyer said. “There’s still very few teams that would be fully categorized as sellers. For the most part, right now, the teams that have struggled think they can get back in the race, other than a handful. We’re not quite there yet.”

Three big, meaningful acquisitions at the trade deadline is a tall order. Most likely, the front office will have to get crafty with their pickups, settling for one big one and hoping for the best on smaller trade gambles.

Whatever the case, the Cubs have a real chance at doing some special things this year. What Hoyer and crew do this next month or so may make all the difference between an exciting fall or a summer letdown.

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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 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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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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The Chicago Cubs’ starting rotation so far this season has already fought through multiple injuries, yet it remains one of the stronger units on their roster. Many believe that the main reason why the Cubs had a fighting chance to make the playoffs in an underwhelming 2024 campaign was because of their starting pitching, with their entire rotation stepping up when needed. The bullpen for last year’s squad was extremely inconsistent, as they have proven to be again so far in 2025. While the offense has seen an uptick in production so far this year, there were many times a season ago where they didn’t come through when it was needed the most.

Chicago getting slammed with injuries to their top two arms early on this season is certainly not ideal. Justin Steele was ruled out for the season in mid-April, which instantly put the organization behind the eight ball in terms of having top-end starters for a playoff push. Matters were made worse when Shota Imanaga was placed on the IL last week with a hamstring strain.

The Cubs rotation has remained strong despite losing Steele and Imanaga. One of their under-the-radar additions in the offseason has proven to be a reliable option after taking Steele’s spot in the starting five last month.

Colin Rea has been an incredible signing for the Chicago Cubs

The Cubs signed Colin Rea to a one-year deal in the winter worth $5 million that includes a $6 million option for the 2026 campaign. The right-hander made on appearance with Milwaukee in 2021 before missing the 2022 season and being a consistent start for Craig Counsell with the Brewers in 2023. Counsell has brought over a few coaches from his days with the Brewers, but Rea is the first player from his tenure in Milwaukee that has joined him in the Windy City.

The veteran’s start on Monday at home against the Marlins spoke volumes to the work that the front office did in finding Rea on the open market this offseason. Dansby Swanson spoke on how Rea has been such a positive addition to this group after Monday night’s victory.

"He's been huge for us … just a guy that's a true pro."

Dansby Swanson tips his cap to Colin Rea pic.twitter.com/5lzfYGeimJ

— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) May 13, 2025

Rea went 6.2 frames on Monday and allowed two runs on six hits. The veteran struck out four and walked two in what was a huge bounce back start after he allowed four earned funs in 5.0 innings against the Giants last week.

The Chicago Cubs will need more help next to Colin Rea

Rea has been fantastic since joining the Cubs rotation when Steele got hurt. The 34-year-old has a 3-0 record in nine appearances this year and has a 2.48 ERA in 36.1 innings pitched. Six of Rea’s nine appearances have been starts, as he began the season in a swing role in the bullpen. Until it’s proven otherwise, Rea should remain in Chicago’s rotation for the long haul this summer.

Even though the current rotation has been stacking wins together, there will need to be another arm of two brought into the fold at the end of the summer. The Cubs should be active at the trade deadline, and arms like Sandy Alcantara and Mitch Keller will be available. Imanaga should return at some point in June, and there is a chance that Javier Assad returns to the staff at some point this year.

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The Chicago Cubs had a couple of troubling injury items pop up this week with their pitching staff.

Javier Assad had been dealing with an oblique injury since training camp. He exited a Triple-A outing on Tuesday after just four innings when his issue flared up again.

The Cubs were hoping he would be available soon after losing starting pitcher Justin Steele for the season as he recovers from Tommy John surgery.

Ryan Pressly recently had a knee procedure done

Cubs closer Ryan Pressly was not available on Wednesday night when the team defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-6. Chicago turned to Porter Hodge for a second consecutive night.

Pressly missed the game because he had a knee procedure done on Tuesday night. The Cubs hoped he’d be back in time to play the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field.

Craig Counsell provided updates on two pitchers

Per Elise Menaker with Marquee Sports Network, Cubs manager Craig Counsell provided an update on Pressly and Assad before Friday’s game. Pressly has been throwing since Thursday, but the knee continues to be an “annoyance” for the 36-year-old righty. Assad has a Grade 2 strain.

“Ryan Pressly is throwing today and threw yesterday,” Menaker posted on X. “About the knee issue Counsell said it’s been an annoyance for Pressly, and he’s trying to put himself in a better spot day-to-day. Javier Assad reaggravated the same injury (left oblique). It’s considered a Grade 2 strain. No timeline.”

Ryan Pressly is throwing today and threw yesterday. About the knee issue Counsell said it's been an annoyance for Pressly, and he's trying to put himself in a better spot day-to-day.

Javier Assad reaggravated the same injury (left oblique). It's considered a Grade 2 strain. No…

— Elise Menaker (@EliseMenaker) April 25, 2025

Amid the recent woes and injuries with the bullpen and starting rotation, the Cubs are expected to try and find outside help to complement one of the hottest offenses in the majors this spring.

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Several key pitchers for the Chicago Cubs have been sidelined by injuries this season, impacting the team’s overall depth. Justin Steele is out for the year after undergoing elbow surgery, while Ryan Brasier and Tyson Miller are both battling hip issues. Eli Morgan is dealing with an elbow injury and Javier Assad has been working his way back from an oblique strain.

The rash of injuries has tested the Cubs’ pitching staff early in the 2025 campaign, resulting in them recently adding Drew Pomeranz and Peter Solomon. Unfortunately, they may have to wait even longer now to get Assad back as during his most recent rehab outing his recovery took a discouraging turn.

Chicago Cubs rehabbing pitcher Javier Assad left his most recent rehab outing grabbing his side

On Tuesday, April 22, Assad was making his second rehab appearance. His previous outing had come a week prior where he tossed 66 pitches over 3.1 innings. Unfortunately, Assad was removed from the contest after grabbing at his side during warm ups for the fifth inning.  At the time he had thrown 67 pitches over 4.0 innings.

Oh no. Javier Assad started to warm up for the fifth inning and grabbed at his side and immediately walked to the dugout after a pitch. Keegan Thompson will come on.

— Jason Kempf (@jkempradio) April 22, 2025

The Cubs starting pitching depth suddenly looks thin

With Javier Assad suffering a setback, the Cubs’ starting pitching depth is becoming an increasing concern. Outside of Shota Imanaga, Matthew Boyd, and Jameson Taillon, the rotation consists of Ben Brown and Colin Rea. Brown has delivered mixed results in his outings so far, while Rea was chosen to take Steel’s spot following his injury.

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The Chicago Cubs didn’t fare well in the injury department. Their number two in the rotation, Justin Steele, will miss the rest of the year due to an elbow injury.

The Cubs have a few options available to fill in and eat his innings, with Colin Rea getting the go, pitching a great game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Another option available for the Cubs is their top prospect, Cade Horton, who is doing well down at Iowa, and Javier Assad, who will join Horton in the Iowa rotation for his rehab stint.

The Chicago Cubs could be getting some reinforcements soon

Assad, starting his rehab stint, couldn’t come at a better time as he will give a jolt of life to the rotation.

The Cubs Triple-A affiliate, the Iowa Cubs, announced that Assad will pitch tonight against the St. Paul Saints.

“Javier Assad is scheduled to pitch tonight vs. the St. Paul Saints and begin his rehab assignment.”

Javier Assad is scheduled to pitch tonight vs. the St. Paul Saints and begin his rehab assignment.

: https://t.co/pzStrYHP3y#iowacubs #milb #onlyindesmoines #IOWAAA #baseball pic.twitter.com/t2S8bKvoYX

— Iowa Cubs (@IowaCubs) April 15, 2025

Reinforcements incoming

Assad will be needed more than ever, as the Cub’s depth in the starting pitching department is being tested, and cannot afford another injury.

Assad made 29 starts last season, pitching to a 3.73 ERA and an ERA+ of 107.

Assad’s 147.0 innings will be invaluable, and hopefully, he can get upwards of 160.0 under his belt.

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The Chicago Cubs received terrible news that one of their top left-handers, Justin Steele, will miss the rest of this season due to an elbow injury and require surgery.

The Cubs are playing great baseball, and not having Steele be an anchor in their rotation will hurt dearly, as the Cubs will have to find production elsewhere.

Thankfully the Cubs have a few internal options they can turn to, which should hold them over if they decide to trade for another starter at the trade deadline.

The most immediate option for the Chicago Cubs’ starting rotation

The Cubs have at least three options to choose to replace Steele in the rotation, even though the guys replacing Steele won’t provide the same level of production Steele would bring.

The first and most immediate option the Cubs have is right-hander Colin Rea. Rea was signed this off-season for something like this and could slide into the rotation for a few starts.

Rea has appeared in three games this season and has not allowed a run in any of his outings. His longest outing came against the Athletics in Sacramento, throwing 3.0 innings in a mop-up role.

For his career, Rea has made 76 career starts and a career ERA of 4.52. Rea will take the mound tonight for the Cubs when they play the Los Angeles Dodgers for the last game of the series.

A sign of one of the Cub’s top pitching prospects could get the call

Another option the Cubs have is promoting their top pitching prospect, Cade Horton.

Horton was a non-roster invite to spring training and pitched in three innings, with a 3.00 ERA in two games.

Horton is the Cub’s second-ranked prospect and is off to a hot start at Iowa, where he has a 1.23 ERA in 7.1 innings.

The 23-year-old Horton would’ve debuted last season if it hadn’t been for an injury that caused him to miss his whole season. The injury to Steele could provide an opening for Horton to get a chance to make his big league debut, as the Cubs could use another right-hander in their rotation.

One right-hander is working his way back

The last and most likely option to fill in for Steele will be right-hander Javier Assad.

Assad has been dealing with an oblique strain since the start of spring training and has been slowly progressing back to throwing in game situations.

The latest injury update on Assad is he pitched three innings out in Arizona on April 9th and will begin his rehab assignment with the Iowa Cubs on April 15th.

Assad beginning a rehab assignment is good news for the Cubs as it will give them another pitcher for their depth, but an experienced right-hander to plug into the rotation.

Assad made 29 starts for the Cubs last season, pitching to a 7-6 record and a 3.73 ERA in 147.0 innings.

The need for innings

Steele going down means one less arm to tackle taking down innings for this season, and will have to be found elsewhere from other guys.

These three provide good internal options, but the Cubs may not hesitate to make a move to get a high-level arm as the trade deadline gets closer.

Given they’re trying to make the playoffs for the first time in five seasons, that could be a possibility.

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The Chicago Cubs got a serving of bad news in the midst of a feel-good run of victories when it was announced on Wednesday that lefty ace Justin Steele would be headed to the 15-day injured list with left elbow tendonitis.

The rattling report was even more disappointing since it came following a masterful Steele performance on Monday, where he threw seven scoreless innings and allowed just three hits in a 7-0 victory over the Texas Rangers.

Things got worse for the Cubs and their faithful fans when buzz began circulating Friday morning that the injury to their top starter was possibly more severe than initially believed.

Cubs beat writer Jesse Rogers, in a Friday morning appearance on ESPN 1000, expressed his informed, but as of yet unconfirmed, belief that Steele’s stay on the injured list will be longer than the current minimum.

Justin Steele’s Injury Has Dire Implications

In a worst case scenario, the Cubs face the reality that they could lose their most consistent starter for an extended period of time. Even in a best case scenario, though, the team will have to work around Steele’s limitations for fear of aggravating the sensitive injury to his throwing arm.

And all of that means that the Cubs absolutely, positively need to bring in a new starting pitcher who can deliver quality innings every fifth day.

A returning Javier Assad is not the answer to that need. Bringing someone like Jordan Wicks back from the minors is not the answer. Working swing men like Colin Rea and Brad Keller into the rotation also isn’t a long-term answer.

As Brian Kelder of North Side Baseball recently pointed out, when assessing the “what if” implications of losing either Steele of Shota Imanaga for an extended period of time:

“I guess the answer to that will come quickly! Colin Rea was signed precisely for these moments as a swing arm. Jordan Wicks is struggling with a 1.76 WHIP in his first two starts in Iowa, Cade Horton isn’t stretched out, and Chris Flexen also sports a WHIP over 1.70. There is not a pitcher in the system that can be expected to come near to Justin Steele’s projected line.

The Cubs gambled a lot of their season on Imanaga and Steele maintaining their elite level while, in Steele’s case, increasing his workload. Matthew Boyd has been outstanding, also, which lessens the blow of Steele missing time. Even so, the team cannot afford to lose Steele for an extended period of time. They just weren’t built to withstand his loss.”

There are also legitimate question marks when it comes to the oft-injured and surgically repaired Boyd’s durability and Jameson Taillon’s consistency.

The Chicago Cubs Must Make A Trade

So, at this point, there’s no other option than a trade.

The problem is that most teams won’t be up for such a big trade, involving a valuable starting pitching asset, this early in the season. Even the no-hope teams already considering themselves out of contention would prefer to make their deals closer to the trade deadline, when market demand allows them to ask more for their trade-fodder pitchers.

So, if the Cubs do make a trade for starting pitching now, it’ll probably have to be for a stopgap budget mid-to-back-of-rotation starter, with the idea of making a bigger acquisition at the trade deadline.

With that in mind, here are two realistic potential trade targets who fit the Cubs needs, at least for right now.

Two Realistic Cubs Trade Targets

Veteran right-hander Zack Littell has struggled for the Tampa Bay Rays so far this year and is currently playing through the last year of his contract with the team, which is projected by most to be a .500 club.

It’s quite likely that the Rays would be willing to deal him right now for a smallish asking price and to remove his $5.7 million salary from their books.

Littell has mostly been a starter in recent years, but he’s had his best seasons as a quality swing man who can start as well as serve as long relief.

Another trade target could be the Miami Marlins’ Cal Quantrill.

The 30-year-old, 7-year veteran was a bargain bin $3.5 million free agent pickup for the Marlins late this offseason, but could easily be flipped via trade for the right minor league asset.

Sporting a lifetime 4.09 ERA, Quantrill could be tacked on to the end of the Cubs’ rotation.

Picking up someone like Littell or Quantrill would purely be to eat innings and bide time until Chicago can pull off a bigger starting pitching acquisition at the deadline. Moves like this will be essential if Steele is lost for any extended period of time.

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The Chicago Cubs entered into this past offseason with the stated goal of targeting front-of-rotation starting pitching.

There were several reason for that. Most notable is the hard, cold reality that a team– especially one with postseason aspirations– can never have too much pitching. It’s a long, long season and any number of things can happen to valuable arms. So, it’s always advisable to try and have more pitchers than one needs.

Despite their lofty rotation goal, however, the Cubs finished the offseason with only rehabbed lefty Matthew Boyd added to the starting staff, along with swing man Colin Rea.

And now, with just a handful of games under their belt, the Cubs have run into their first starting pitching issue as ace left-hander Justin Steele had to be placed on the 15-day injured list with left elbow tendonitis, the same injury that sent him to the IL last September.

Justin Steele Goes Down

Cubs manager Craig Counsell seemed cautiously optimistic about the injury, even with an MRI planned for Thursday.

“We’re gonna take the conservative route here,” Counsell told reporters. “He had symptoms of an injury that he experienced last year. For that reason, rather than have him focus on his next start, I think it’s best to back off that and make sure he recovers in a good place. (We’re) hoping it’s the minimum and he can be ready to go in a couple of weeks.”

Frustratingly, the injury came after Steele’s best outing of the young season, allowing only 3 hits over 7 shutout innings in Monday’s 7-0 win over the Rangers, in a brutally frigid Wrigley Field.

The Cubs will benefit from having four games off over the next couple of weeks, allowing the rotation to operate in 4-man mode for most of that time. Rea has reportedly been designated the fifth starter when needed.

But plans do need to be made if Steele’s injury is more extensive.

A Steele Replacement Via Trade

One of the quickest paths to rotation insurance is via trade.

Major trades this early in the season are fairly rare, but there are some quality arms out there that seem destined to eventually be fodder at the trade deadline. A deal could be pushed forward under the right circumstances and for the right price.

Baseball media voices have jumped on the “insurance for Steele” story and have been tossing out possible trade targets for the Cubs. The names range from Zac Gallen of the Arizona Diamondbacks to Taijuan Walker of the Philadelphia Phillies to Bobby Miller of the Los Angeles Dodgers. There are also the ever-present calls to explore deals for either Dylan Cease or Michael King from the San Diego Padres.

None of those proposed trades seem too realistic at this point of the season, though.

The Chicago Cubs’ Other Options

Another backup plan for an injured Steele is via minor league call-up of top prospect Cade Horton or recently demoted Cubs Jordan Wicks and Keegan Thompson.

While the talent is deep at Triple-A, it would probably be unwise to call up Horton at this stage of a year coming back from injury. Re-adding former big leaguers from the Iowa Cubs would also be more of a temporary stopgap than a long-term fix.

A third backup-to-Steele option for the Cubs is to just be patient.

Javier Assad is not too far away from his first rehab assignment and could be worked into a Steele-less rotation. Rea is also a stable, albeit unspectacular, replacement. Brad Keller could be given a try in the rotation as well.

For now, there’s no need to go into full panic mode about Steele. But, still, preparing for the worst would be smart.

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The Chicago Cubs began domestic Opening Day with four players on their injured list.  Those players are Javier Assad, Tyson Miller, Ryan Brasier, and Vidal Brujan.

Fast forward eight days later, and we get to the point where the Cubs are ready to play their Home Opener against the San Diego Padres. Before this crucial series began, in which both teams entered riding winning streaks, Cubs personnel provided updates on a pair of the above-mentioned injured players.

Chicago Cubs latest injury updates are encouraging for one player and concerning for another

On X, Maddie Lee relayed information as towards how Assad and Brujan are progressing in their rehab.  For reference, Assad is making his way back from an oblique strain and Brujan an elbow sprain that was sustained towards the end of spring training after crashing into a wall.

• Javier Assad is set to pitch two innings today in Arizona. Likely a couple outings there before heading out on a minor-league rehab assignment.
• Vidal Bruján has been stalled a bit with continued symptoms, especially throwing

When are these players expected to return?

The Cubs website has Assad projected to return in April/May. He is a starting pitcher, so if his two innings in Arizona go well he should continue to build up before heading out on a rehab assignment. Because he is aiming towards returning as a starter, a return in May is more realistic.

As for Brujan, it’s unclear when he may be ready to return. His greatest value to the team is defensive versatility, which includes filling in at third base.  Chicago will want to make sure his elbow is capable of making every throw before returning him.  It’s possible that this may take some time and may require a minor-league rehab assignment as well given the time lapsed in between live games.

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The Chicago Cubs will wrap up their final game of the spring tomorrow when they play the Atlanta Braves for the second straight game.

The Cubs will then drive to Phoenix, where they’ll open the second start of their regular season playing the Arizona Diamondbacks in a four-game series.

The Cubs will start the season down one of their starting pitchers but should be getting him back soon.

The Chicago Cubs could get a piece of the rotation back soon

Javier Assad has been out with an oblique injury since the start of spring training. Since Assad missed all of spring and has slowly been ramping himself back up, he will start the season on the injured list.

Assad, according to MLB.com, threw a 40-pitch bullpen on March 22 and will move to face live hitters in batting practice as his next step.

The fifth starter?

Assad, once he returns, could slide into the rotation as the fifth starter and force Ben Brown out and down to the minors.

Brown has the upper hand to be the Cubs fifth starter when the time comes, with Colin Rea also being an option.

The 27-year-old native of Tijuana, Mexico, was great for the Cubs last season, where, in 29 starts, Assad went 7-6 with a 3.73 ERA and a 107 ERA+ in 147.0 innings.

Assad would’ve been in the running for the job this spring had it not been for his injury.

If not used as the fifth starter and isn’t used in the bullpen as the long man, Assad could get optioned to build up his innings, as he still has two minor-league options, according to FanGraphs.

Reinforcements are coming

The Cubs will have reinforcement soon as Assad will provide valuable pitching depth.

Thankfully, the Cubs have remained relatively healthy this spring, with only a few oblique strains and one groin injury, which came to prospect Owen Cassie.

The Cubs will get one boost to their roster before Assad’s arrival, with second baseman Nico Hoerner trending towards playing on Opening Day against the Diamondbacks.

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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 look to be still on the hunt for starting rotation pieces.

On Thursday, it was reported by USA Today’s Bob Nightengale that the Cubs were in negotiations with veteran right-hander Lance Lynn for a possible one-year deal. The news came as both a surprise and not a surprise.

It was a surprise because the Cubs were thought to be done with their pitching acquisitions, settled into the front four comprised of Shota Imanaga, Justin Steele, James Taillon, and Matthew Boyd, with fifth starter options Javier Assad, Ben Brown, Colin Rea, Brad Keller, and Jordan Wicks in the mix.

The not-surprising part came in the actual choice of the 37-year-old Lynn as a pickup, an acquisition in line with the Cubs’ MO of trying to pick up potentially viable major league assets on an affordable budget-friendly short-term contract.

Acquiring Lance Lynn, The Criticism

Since the buzz about Lynn started, though, there’s been some significant criticism and doubt regarding the signing of the 13-year veteran, who also happens to be a fly ball pitcher.

“No thank you,” MLB Insider Bernstein said in a recent appearance on 670 The Score. “They don’t need another guy throwing 90. He’ll get his something lit in Wrigley Field.

“No thank you. A fly ball pitcher? The fact that Shota (Imanaga) got through last year as well as he did was great. That is a bad fit.”

Lynn is coming off a bounce back year in 2024, finishing with a 3.84 ERA in 23 starts with the St. Louis Cardinals after a career-worst 2023 campaign split between the Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers where he posted a combined 5.73 ERA. In his career, the veteran has had a multi-year run as a high-end starter with a lifetime ERA of 3.74 in 2006.1 total innings.

Brandon Glick of Call to the Pen is declaring the possible signing of Lynn a typical workaround from a Cubs organization focused on the bargain bin at the expense of acquiring true star assets.

Per Glick:

“The Chicago Cubs — and, perhaps more specifically, Jed Hoyer — just cannot help themselves when it comes to the bargain bin…

…a doomsday scenario in reality would put Lynn in an uncomfortably important position. If Steele or Imanaga misses time along with someone like Boyd or Rea this season, Lynn could be asked to do far more than he’s been capable of in recent years.

Ultimately, the news of this potential signing is really just a microcosm of the entire Cubs offseason.

In a vacuum, the move makes sense, and perhaps should even be applauded for being forward-thinking. In reality, though, it just highlights what the team failed to do all winter outside of Tucker: bring in a star.”

A star, you say?

Chicago Cubs Still Pursuing Dylan Cease?

Jon Heyman of The New York Post is reporting that the Cubs are among as many as nine teams showing interest in San Diego Padres ace (and former Cubs farm system product) Dylan Cease, who is eligible to become a free agent after this 2025 season.

All of this last-minute hunting for starting pitching makes one wonder whether Chicago sees some issues in its rotation or, at the very least, some possibility of issues.

Starting Rotation Questions Emerging?

Imanaga has struggled a bit in the Cactus League and has shown some troubling analytics data so far this spring. Many also feel that the Japanese star benefited greatly from an unusually pitcher-friendly Wrigley Field last year in his stellar rookie season.

The Cubs’ free agent acquisition, Boyd, has a history of injury and is coming off mid-2023 Tommy John surgery. He hasn’t thrown more than 100 innings in a season since 2019.

Assad, meanwhile, will be starting the season on the injured list with oblique issues. None of his fifth starter competition can be considered sure thing rotation assets at this point.

So, the Cubs may see the need to add arms, either in the front of the rotation or at the back, in anticipation of bad things happening for a rotation on a team where lots of good things should be taking place.

Who could argue that insurance is a bad thing? The question is whether the team is acquiring the right insurance.

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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 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 are slowly cutting their roster down to get their roster to the necessary 26 guys to get ready to start the gauntlet of the Major League Baseball season.

The Cubs will begin their season in Japan when they take the Los Angeles Dodgers for the Tokyo Series, which starts on March 18.

A couple of Cubs players won’t be making the journey across the Pacific with Nico Hoerner, set to stay back to continue to rehab. Top prospect Matt Shaw could miss the series as he’s still nursing an oblique strain.

One other notable player will miss the Tokyo Series and most likely miss the start of the season.

Chicago Cubs starter to miss the start of the season

According to manager Craig Counsell, right-hander pitcher Javier Assad will miss the start of the regular season but is supposed to start throwing some bullpens this week.

“Craig Counsell announced that Javier Assad will begin throwing bullpens at the end of next week and will miss the start of the season.”

Craig Counsell announced that Javier Assad will begin throwing bullpens at the end of next week and will miss the start of the season. pic.twitter.com/dqFjXW85Ao

— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) March 1, 2025

Assad has been on the shelf since the beginning of camp after he suffered a mild oblique strain.

A key piece will be missing

Assad was coming into camp competing to be the Cub’s fifth pitcher in their rotation after having a solid season last year.

Last year, Assad made 29 starts and accumulated a record of 7-6 with an ERA of 3.73 in 147.0 innings pitched.

With Assad officially set to miss the season, that frees up more opportunities for guys like Colin Rea or Ben Brown to win the job.

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The Chicago Cubs brought lefty Japanese pitching ace Shota Imanaga to the team last season, making the calculated gamble that his mound prowess would translate to the American game.

Their gamble was a wild success.

The Chicago Cubs Gambled– And Won– On Shota Imanaga

The former top asset of the Yokohama DeNA BayStars in the Japanese league, who signed with the Cubs on a 4-year, $53 million deal, turned heads and made an impact in hist first season, earning some attention as a Rookie of the Year candidate.

He also won the hearts of Cubs fans with a hefty dose of charm and humor that continues through this spring. He’s quickly become one of the most fan-favorite members of the squad.

Imanaga finished 2024 with a 15-3 record and a stellar 2.91 ERA in 173.1 innings pitched over 29 starts. All told, he was the Cubs’ most effective starter and will get the starting day nod in the team’s historic season opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Japan.

Wrigley Field Benefited Imanaga Greatly In 2024

But, by some estimations, he shouldn’t have been able to be such a shutdown starter with those kinds of numbers. As a fly ball pitcher– with a longstanding reputation for giving up home runs– working in Wrigley Field, he should’ve been touched up a lot more than he was.

Swirling 2024 winds at Wrigley were mostly blowing in, however, turning the park into one of the most pitcher-friendly homes in all of baseball. Statistical analysis reveals that it registered the second-lowest batting average and slugging percentage among MLB parks. These numbers were bolstered by the fact that it had the lowest home run rate in all of major league baseball. The Cubs pitching staff reaped the benefits of the weather turn, posting a 3.08 ERA at home (compared to a 4.53 ERA on the road).

Imanaga surely benefited greatly from the swirling Wrigley winds blowing in last season, with some guaranteed home runs knocked down into deep fly balls. He would finish the 2024 campaign with a 2.72 ERA at home, compared to a 3.14 ERA on the road.

There’s no guarantee that those same pitcher-friendly winds will be blowing in 2025.

There’s also no guarantee that the league won’t adapt to the 31-year-old Imanaga’s off-putting pitching style and pitch arsenal.

Experts Predict Regression in 2025

As a matter of fact, experts and analysts are pretty much unanimous in their belief that Imanaga’s numbers will be down considerably from his rookie year.

Steamer projects Imanaga to post a 3.66 ERA. ZiPS sees him delivering a 3.49 ERA. RotoChamp estimates a 3.74 ERA.

Those are all, still, respectable ERAs and, even in a near-worst case scenario, Imanaga is a really good pitcher and an asset to a starting rotation that also boasts Justin Steele, Jameson Taillon, Matthew Boyd, and Javier Assad.

Aside from being a fly ball pitcher, he’s also a pitcher who makes bats miss balls. That attribute should provide some insurance against massive slippage.

But the Cubs’ reported pursuit of a front-of-rotation starter this offseason seems to speak to the fact that the front office is also acknowledging the possibility of some regression from Imanaga. If the left-hander is too generous in giving up the long ball, there will be considerable strain on those around him, who are counting on his ability to replicate, at least to a degree, his successes of last season.

Imanaga has been touched up a bit this spring training, but that really doesn’t tell one much. The real test will be when the season begins and the Wrigley flags start blowing.

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The Chicago Cubs have made a lot of moves this offseason, but the only real pickups for the starting rotation have been rehabbed lefty Matthew Boyd and swing man/potential fifth starter Colin Rea.

Arguably, more needs to be done– especially in this modern baseball world where pitching depth is an increasingly precious commodity for playoff-possible teams. Chicago had actually recognized that reality earlier in the offseason, as they reportedly explored trading for a high-end starter.

The Cubs do have a solid front five in Justin Steele, Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon, Boyd, and Javier Assad. Last season, the starting staff managed a 3.78 ERA, which was tenth best in the league. There’s also some security in having Rea, Ben Brown, and Jordan Wicks just a half-step behind and top pitching prospect Cade Horton not far from being big league-ready. On the surface, the temptation would be to stand pat with what they have right now, at this stage of spring training.

Insurance For The Chicago Cubs Starting Rotation?

But an experienced back-of-rotation presence with World Series experience might be an asset down the stretch of a long season where injury and inconsistent performance could mean the difference between a deep playoff run or no playoff run at all.

Scott Conrad of Da Windy City believes that the still-available free agent lefty Patrick Corbin might be the right man to serve in that capacity for the Cubs.

Per Conrad:

“Since the Cubs already have Shota Imanaga, Justin Steele, and Jameson Taillon, they are not in dire need of an ace. However, a former ace who can be a reliable option at the back of the starting rotation would increase Chicago’s chances of returning to the postseason…

Patrick Corbin is still unsigned. Just like Turner, he has won a World Series, too. Corbin was a strong contributor to the champions that season in 2019. The Clay, New York native has started in at least 30 games and racked up at least 120 strikeouts in each of his last four seasons.

Bringing him on board adds depth and could be a low cost, minimal pressure for both parties. A one-year ‘prove it’ type deal provides a benefit to both the team and the player. Adding an option for a second season may entice 6’3” pitcher to sign with the Cubs.”

Patrick Corbin Has Dazzled, But Mostly Frustrated

Granted, the 35-year-old Corbin’s stats don’t scream “elite” at this point in his 12-year major league career. He hasn’t posted an ERA below 5.20 since the abbreviated 2020 season when he managed a 4.66 ERA. As a 6-year, $140 million signee of the Washington Nationals, he drove their fans and, presumably, their front office, mad with years of inconsistent performance.

He has, however, managed to be somewhat of a workhorse as a starter and has legit strikeout stuff– something lacking within the current Cubs rotation.

Possibilities And Realities

There’s also the distant possibility of tweaking and adjusting his game to get him back somewhere near his 2018 and 2019 form, where he was putting up ace numbers, compiling a combined 484 strikeouts and delivering 3.15 and 3.25 ERAs, respectively.

Even in a worst case scenario, though, bringing Corbin aboard gives the Cubs a durable arm with postseason experience and it would add a left-handed long reliever to a bullpen in need of left-handed depth.

And, most likely, he would come on a really affordable one-year deal.

There are just as many arguments against signing Corbin, though. There’s definitely a reason he’s still looking for a new team as spring training kicks off.

But with Assad likely to start the season on the injured list and uncertainty surrounding Wicks, Brown, and the oft-injured Boyd, insurance might not be the worst thing for the Cubs to acquire.

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The Chicago Cubs are perfect this spring training, having a record of 6-0 after getting their latest win against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Cubs staged a comeback against the Snakes, beating them by a score of 4-2.

The Cubs have a few interesting positional battles entering camp, with the fight for the last spot in the starting rotation being the most interesting to follow.

The Cubs have a few names enter camp who are vying for the last few spots in the rotation, but one player in contention could be out of the running and not be ready for Opening Day.

Chicago Cubs starter could start the season on the IL

Javier Assad has been sidelined so far this spring with an oblique injury. According to The Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma, the Cubs could look to start Assad in the IL for the start of the season and take things slow with him.

Sharma also reports that Assad could start a throwing program this week, which would be a step in the right direction. Starting Assad on the season on the IL wouldn’t be a bad thing, with oblique strains not being an injury to fool around with.

Out of the running for the rotation

Assad starting the season on the IL now frees up opportunities for other players like Colin Rea or Ben Brown to win the fifth spot in the rotation. Brown has a great chance to do so, showing a ton of promise last season before getting hurt.

Assad was solid for the Cubs last season as one of their starters, making 29 starts and accumulating a record of 7-6 with an ERA of 3.73 in 147.0 innings pitched.

Assad will be back before too long

If the Cubs go the route of starting Assad on the IL for the start of the season, he could be back by mid-April.

It’s a promising sign that Assad will potentially start a throwing program this week and it’s also great to see the Cubs putting Assad’s health first.

Still only 27 years old, taking it slow with Assad is the right move, with the native of Tijuana, Mexico, having the potential to be a solid middle-of-the-rotation pitcher for the Cubs for years to come.

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The Chicago Cubs began the season with the stated purpose of finding a front-of-rotation starting pitcher.

And, although they’ve been linked to some names via trade and free agency, nothing has come of that pursuit, other than the free agent acquisition of rehabbed lefty starter Matthew Boyd and swing man Colin Rea.

However, the season hasn’t begun and it’s still early enough in spring training to make a big move. The hope of adding an ace-level starter to add to a rotation that already boasts Justin Steele, Shota Imanaga, James Taillon, Javier Assad, and Boyd is still there.

Could The Chicago Cubs Target Sandy Alcantara?

Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report sees a possibility of the Cubs making that big impact move with Sandy Alcantara of the Miami Marlins, who is coming back from Tommy John surgery after missing all of the 2024 season.

Per Rymer:

“The Marlins aren’t going anywhere in 2025, and Alcantara has plenty of trade value to reclaim.

Alcantara peaked as the NL Cy Young Award winner in 2022, pitching 228.2 innings with a 2.28 ERA. It’s an outlier of sorts, yet this is a pitcher who’s been 30 percent better than average for his whole career.

It’s quite the pedigree to live up to, yet Alcantara should be up to it. He’s more than a year removed from his surgery in October 2023…

Even if Alcantara is merely the pitcher he was in 2023, when he had a 4.14 ERA, he’ll stand to be a valuable trade chip. If he returns to ace form, that much more so.”

Rymer mentions the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves also as prime targets for the Marlins front office, although in-division trades can be fairly rare.

Coming Back From Tommy John

Tommy John surgery is no longer the career death sentence it once was for pitchers. There are many cases of surgery recipients going on to have long, viable careers afterwards, as well as cases where pitchers have multiple reconstructive surgeries. The 29-year-old Alcantara, who unanimously won his NL Cy Young award as a Marlin in 2022, most likely will have plenty of productive career ahead of him.

Entering into the fourth year of a five-year contract, the Cubs would take in just under $56 million in acquiring Alcantara. They’d also have a $21 million club option for 2027.

All in all, that’s a pretty reasonable salary deal for a pitcher with the potential to be a front-of-rotation presence and is no worse than a middle-rotation starter.

Over the course of his career, the right-hander has a 3.32 ERA in 146 big league games (138 starts) and 900.2 innings. In 2023, he posted a 4.14 ERA in 184.2 innings. During his career, he’s earned the reputation of being a workhorse, with an average of just over 204 innings in his four full seasons as a starter prior to his injury.

In his first appearance since his surgery, Alcantara threw a scoreless inning in Sunday’s spring training game against the Mets, maxing out at a very healthy 99.3 mph.

What Will It Take To Get Alcantara?

With the Marlins out of contention before the season even begins and no burning need for a big-ticket front-of-rotation ace right now, the haul expected for Alcantara would probably center around prospects and/or young field-ready major leaguers.

Would outfield prospect Kevin Alcantara (no relation) and someone like Javier Assad or Jordan Wicks be enough to entice the Marlins? Maybe big-hitting top prospect Moises Ballesteros could be dangled rather than Alcantara?

According to reports, the Marlins are in no real hurry to deal Alcantara, who will take the field as one of the team’s few elite-level established talents. But if the right deal comes along, it’s hard to imagine them not listening to it.

The question is whether the Cubs would be willing to offer up that “right” deal.

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Spring training is underway for the Chicago Cubs, and so far the Cubbies sit at 2-0 in the Cactus League after beating the Los Angeles Dodgers twice. In those two games, the Cubs had an offense explosion, scoring a combined 19 runs to the Dodgers 7.

Even though the Dodgers didn’t throw out their best lineup, winning those two games against the reigning World Series Champs should give the Cubs confidence when they play them again in Tokyo for the Tokyo Series on March 18.

As games roll on, a few notable players for the Cubs have been sidelined with injuries, but have received updates on when they could be back in action.

The Chicago Cubs get updates on three key players

The Cubs came into camp with a few notable injuries to two of their prospects and one of their pitchers. Matt Shaw is working his way back from an oblique strain and has had limited baseball activities. The 23-year-old, per MLB.com, has resumed hitting in the cage, as well as resuming throwing and fielding work. According to Counsell, Shaw can resume on-field workouts next week and is currently listed as day-to-day

Owen Caissie, another top prospect of the Cubs, is more of a concerning case after suffering a left groin strain. It was also reported that Caissie had offseason core muscle surgery, which could’ve contributed to this injury. The Cubs have Caissie shut down from all baseball activities and will be very cautious with him, given the surgery.

Owen Caissie is dealing with a groin strain and is not participating in baseball activities, Craig Counsell announced. pic.twitter.com/VWKDlYhwNQ

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

Caissie is expected to return sometime in late March or early April, but expect the latter. The 22-year-old Canadian will likely start his year in Triple-A again, given the slow track the Cubs are taking with him.

Another Cubs player dealing with an injury is right-handed pitcher Javier Assad, who like Shaw, is dealing with an oblique strain. Counsell said in an interview with the media that he doesn’t expect the injury to sideline Assad “long-term” but MLB.com has his time of return as “early 2025”, which could mean anything.

The 27-year-old is competing for a spot in the Cubs rotation, and if he’s to miss most of spring training, he will have a hard time winning the job. The native of Mexico is competing with the likes of Colin Rea, Ben Brown, and a few non-roster invitees like Brad Keller, for the fifth and sixth spots in the rotation.

A couple of other injury notes

Nico Hoerner is slowly working his way back after having surgery this offseason to repair a right flexor tendon. Hoerner is listed to return sometime in early 2025, and could potentially miss Opening Day. He is currently undergoing a throwing program and has hit in the cage but has not appeared in either of the Cubs games so far.

The Cubs also received news that top prospect and non-roster invite Brett Bateman will have right hamate surgery, per Counsell, and does not have an ETA for a return. Bateman is a speedy centerfielder out of the University of Minnesota and would have been exciting to see this spring with having the potential to be a future Gold Glover in the outfield.

A mixed bag for the Cubs

This injury news is a mixed bag for the Cubs, sounding more negative instead of a positive update.

The most important piece of news here, is Shaw being able to get back on the field and seeing live pitching. The Cubs expect Shaw to perform this spring and hopefully be their starting third baseman when they travel the 5,795 miles from Mesa, Arizona to Tokyo, Japan, to open their season.

Thankfully, none of these injuries are that serious and will require a long-term stint on the injured list, so the Cubs should get most of their core players back sooner rather than later.

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The Chicago Cubs are headed into the 2025 season with a lot on the line.

The team has flat-out declared themselves to be “all in” when it comes to making the postseason. And, while that may be the objective of every team in baseball, the Cubs made a ton of moves this offseason to push that narrative. If they fall short of that goal, figurative heads will roll.

The trade for free agency-bound Kyle Tucker of the Houston Astros will hit especially heavy if the team doesn’t achieve its goal. To bring in the multi-tool right fielder– for likely one season– they had to part with two major league assets in Isaac Paredes and Hayden Wesneski, along with top prospect Cam Smith.

Bad Days Ahead For Two Key Pitchers

On paper, Chicago looks solid and deep at just about every position, but all it takes is a down year or two to bring the entire plan toppling down.

Jake Misener of Cubbies Crib feels that two top Cubs pitchers, specifically, are due for a fall from grace this season– Javier Assad and Porter Hodge.

Is Javier Assad Due For A Fall?

Assad, the 27-year-old right-hander from Mexico, is dealing with injury early in this spring training, but he’s expected to be the front-runner for the fifth spot in the Cubs’ starting rotation.

With a 3.73 ERA in 29 games and 147 innings, he’s earned first dibs on that gig.

However, there’ve been doubts about Assad’s overall ability as a full-time starter since he first came into the league and some have slated him for long relief duty despite his solid work in three years with the team.

Per Misener:

“So why is he a prime regression candidate? A closer look at the numbers throws up all kinds of red flags. A 1.97 K/BB ratio isn’t sustainable at the big-league level. His ERA was nearly a full run better than his FIP (4.64) and his chase and whiff rates ranked near the bottom of all eligible pitchers. There’s just not a lot of margin for error with Assad and one has to think that, at some point, things are going to level off and he’ll stop out-performing the peripherals.”

Assad will get his chance to keep the job he earned last year, but many are banking against his ability to continue putting up solid numbers.

A Sophomore Curse For Porter Hodge?

Hodge was a surprising revelation last season, notching a 1.88 ERA in 43 innings and earning status as the de facto closer on an out-of-contention Cubs team. He did this as a relatively green 23-year-old with just 15.2 innings of Triple-A experience.

Misener, however, feels that numbers point to serious regression this coming season from the sophomore:

“Hodge worked to a 1.88 ERA and 0.884 WHIP in 43 appearances, overcoming 4.0 BB/9 thanks, in part, to a penchant for punchouts (he struck out nearly 11 batters per nine). Control will make or break him this year. The stuff definitely plays, but he’ll need to cut down on the free passes to keep the self-inflicted damage in check, especially in a high-leverage role.”

Hodge will have the pressure eased a bit by working as setup man to newcomer Ryan Pressly, but it’s hard to see him being as dominant this year as he was in the second half of last year.

Time will tell who stays true to form, who overachieves, and who underachieves in this 2025 campaign. However, Assad and Hodge are key components to the Cubs’ success and the hope is that critics are wrong about downward turns this season.

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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 just lost free agent third baseman Alex Bregman to the Boston Red Sox, but they could end up getting a high-end third baseman from Boston anyway.

Recently, the Red Sox bagged Bregman with a 3-year, $120 million deal, edging out the second-place Bregman suitor Cubs for the right to place the Gold Glover at their hot corner.

However, the Red Sox already had a three-time all-star third baseman in Rafael Devers, who has held that spot since 2017– and, by all accounts, he’s not at all happy to give up his position for the incoming signee.

“No, I play third. It’s my decision…My position is third base,” Devers recently told Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. “Whatever it is they want to do is what they want to do. But my position is third base…I don’t know what their plans are. I know we had a conversation. I made it clear what my desires are. Whatever happens from here, I don’t know.”

Disharmony in Boston Opens Door To Cubs?

Initials thoughts were that Devers would move to DH and the better-fielding Bregman would take third. Some talked about Bregman possibly moving to second base and Devers staying at third, although it wouldn’t make a whole lot of sense to bring in a $40 million-per-year Gold Glover and have him play something other than his natural position.

The situation in Boston has created a significant amount of tension and has opened the door to the possibility of moving the 28-year-old Devers, who signed an 11-year, $331 million contract extension with the Red Sox in 2021.

So, in come the Cubs?

After losing out on Bregman, Chicago has rookie Matt Shaw tentatively penciled in as their starting third baseman. The 23-year-old prospect is held in high regard across the league and ranks as the team’s top prospect. But he IS 23 and no prospect is a guaranteed success.

Would Devers To The Cubs Make Sense?

Christopher Kline of Fansided has recently named the Cubs as one of the teams that should pursue a deal to bring Devers in.

Per Kline:

“The Chicago Cubs finally made an explosive addition this winter by trading for Kyle Tucker, which meaningfully moves the needle in a wide-open NL Central. After signing Tucker, however, the Cubs haggled over money and threatened arbitration, then did very little to build out the lineup around him.

For as great as Tucker is, Chicago sacrificed a pair of All-Star bats in Cody Bellinger and Isaac Paredes to facilitate his arrival. The Cubs were in the mix for Bregman, but ultimately cheaped out. That would’ve been the kind of move that convinces Tucker, a free agent next offseason, that Chicago is serious about contending. Instead, Chicago is left in a sort of competitive no-man’s land, with very clear roster holes negating what should have been a transformative offseason.

Trading for Devers would really cement the Cubs as serious NL contenders. It might also encourage Tucker to stick around beyond 2025. Third base is a weak point in Chicago’s depth chart, and the Cubs are equipped with plenty of elite defenders to help soften the downside of Devers on the field. Meanwhile, you’d struggle to find many more potent 1-2 offensive punches than Devers and Tucker at full strength. All of a sudden, the Cubs’ lineup can start to trade blows with the likes of Atlanta or Los Angeles.”

Devers is owed a lot of money over a long period of time, but he has proven himself as a hitter at the major league level and he would definitely provide a solution for a position currently riddled with question marks.

What The Chicago Cubs Would Have To Give Up For Devers

What would it cost to bring Devers to Chicago?

One might assume that it would take a bit of a haul for the Red Sox to deal the proven left-handed bat.

Boston has a question mark of their own at second base, with Vaughn Grissom and prospect Kristian Campbell competing for the job. They also could use some bullpen depth and outfield options.

The Cubs dealing reliable Gold Glove second baseman Nico Hoerner, along with outfield prospect Kevin Alcantara, and a major league-ready young arm like Jordan Wicks or Javier Assad might be enough, although Chicago might have to sweeten the pot even more.

Realistically, this is a long-shot of a trade proposal, But it’s something worth considering as both teams have issues swirling around that third base position.

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The Chicago Cubs were the first teams to open camp on Feb 9 to their pitchers and catchers, given that they open their season in Japan next month.

With all the key acquisitions they made this offseason, the Cubs are primed to be one of the better teams in the National League this year.

The Cubs so far have had very few injuries with a few of their players dealing with oblique issues.

The Chicago Cubs have a couple of injuries entering camp

The Cubs are already plagued by the injury bug, with a couple of their players down with oblique issues. Earlier in the week the Cubs got news that right-handed pitcher Javier Assad has a mild oblique strain and will be shut down for some time.

Now it appears that the Cubs’ top prospect Matt Shaw is dealing with an oblique issue which USA Today columnist Bob Nightengale says “is not serious” and says the Cubs think Shaw should only be down for a few days.

“Cubs prized third base prospect Matt Shaw is dealing with an oblique issue but the Cubs don’t believe it’s serious and is day to day.”

Cubs prized third base prospect Matt Shaw is dealing with an oblique issue but the Cubs don’t believe it’s serious and is day to day.

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) February 14, 2025

A critical part of the Cubs offense

Shaw has the opportunity to break camp with the Cubs and be their starting third baseman on Opening Day. Shaw is primed to have a spectacular career, showing the ability to perform at every level and passing all the tests the Cubs have laid out for him.

Last season Shaw was nothing short of impressive, playing in 121 games between Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa. In those games, Shaw had 19 doubles, 4 triples, 21 HRs, 71 RBI, and 31 stolen bases and only being caught 11 times. Shaw also impressed with the ability to limit his strikeouts only having 95 in 443 at bats.

Marquee Sports Network projects that Shaw will play in 123 games this season where he’ll hit .253 have 17 HRs, 63 RBI, have an OPS of .729, and have 16 stolen bases. If Shaw can put up those numbers, Shaw will certainly finish the year in the Rookie of the Year voting.

“Matt Shaw’s projected numbers for 2025”

Matt Shaw’s projected numbers for 2025 pic.twitter.com/V2TTxBzbFm

— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) February 13, 2025

Thankfully this isn’t serious

Thankfully the news of Shaw’s injury isn’t too serious and he shouldn’t miss that much time.

Most of the Cubs position players are starting to trickle into camp and Shaw has some time to heal up before they play their first game of spring.

The Cubs will open up against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Feb 20 and the Cubs play them in the opening series over in Tokyo, Japan on March 18.

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UPDATE: Per 670 The Score Bruce Levine Assad has a “mild oblique strain” and shouldn’t miss to much time.

“Cubs report on RHP Javier Assad is a mild oblique strain. Counsell said there should not be too many days without throwing.“

Cubs report on RHP Javier Assad is a mild oblique strain. Counsell said there should not be too many days without throwing.

— Bruce Levine (@MLBBruceLevine) February 11, 2025

The Chicago Cubs have officially opened their spring training facilities to their pitchers and catchers and are ready to work.

The Cubs come into spring training as one of the better teams in the National League. The Cubs bolstered their roster by adding thump and pitching depth to their roster to help better their chances at beating the 83-79 record they’ve had for the past two years.

Even though it’s only day 3 of camp, the Cubs are already dealing with some nagging injuries. One of which is affecting one key contributor to their starting rotation.

Chicago Cubs’ Javier Assad already has an injury

It’s only day three of camp, and the Cubs already have a couple of pitchers dealing with injuries. According to Cubs insider Patrick Mooney, Assad is dealing with oblique soreness and will receive imaging per manager Craig Counsell.

“Cubs pitcher Javier Assad is sidelined with oblique soreness, manager Craig Counsell said on the second day of spring training, and will be reassessed after imaging testing.”

Cubs pitcher Javier Assad is sidelined with oblique soreness, manager Craig Counsell said on the second day of spring training, and will be reassessed after imaging testing.

— Patrick Mooney (@PJ_Mooney) February 10, 2025

Depending on how serious the soreness is and if upgraded to a strain Assad could miss a decent amount of time.

A critical part of the Chicago Cubs’ success

Assad came into camp competing for either the fifth spot in the Cubs rotation or another swingman in both the rotation and the bullpen. Assad was solid for the Cubs last season as one of their starters, making 29 starts and accumulating a record of 7-6 with an ERA of 3.73 in 147.0 innings pitched.

With Assad set to miss time, the Cubs will look to other options like Ben Brown and newly signed Colin Rea to step up and show they can take Assad’s place. Other potential options that could overtake Assad are Cade Horton, Brad Keller, and possibly Jordan Wicks.

Time to heal up

Luckily for Assad, this is the beginning of camp, and games haven’t been played yet, so depending on the severity of the soreness, Assad could miss some time.

Hopefully, Assad won’t miss too much time and can quickly get back on the mound to get himself ready for Opening Day.

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The Chicago Cubs, despite having already had a productive and meaningful offseason, appear to be still on the hunt for some additional talent to add to the opening day roster.

Uncharacteristic of the franchise and its front office, the team has been aggressive this winter, unsuccessfully pursuing free agent closer Tanner Scott and, reportedly still pursuing, third baseman Alex Bregman. They’ve also been willing to trade well-regarded prospects for high-end, field-ready talent.

Notably, their deal for Houston Astros all-star right fielder Kyle Tucker was a supreme shocker, costing them top prospect Cam Smith, pitcher Hayden Wesneski, and third baseman Isaac Paredes for the one-year rental of the multi-tool asset.

Chicago Cubs In Pursuit Of Dylan Cease?

The latest buzz has Jed Hoyer and his team exploring the possibly of a trade for San Diego Padres ace Dylan Cease, who was brought up in the Cubs farm system.

There are plenty of questions asked of a Cease deal, however. For instance, how much would it cost the Cubs and, consequently, would it be worth the price for a player who, like Tucker, will become a free agent at the end of this coming season.

Questions To Be Asked

Matt Cozzi and Sam Olbur of the Locked on Cubs podcast mulled over this dilemma in a recent episode of their show and offered up some considerable food for thought, as well as an idea of what such a Cubs-Padres trade would look like.

Per Cozzi:

“They have their own trade from a month ago as a possible format…It would be a combo platter here of three players. One is a major league starting position player or pitcher. One’s a top prospect. And then a third piece who’s in limbo or blocked with the Cubs, but offers major league value of some sort on day one with the team. And that was the Astros trade.

So, here’s what it would be this time.

I think it would be either [Javier] Assad or [Jordan] Wicks because they immediately go into the rotation, either [Kevin] Alcantara or [Owen] Caissie, and a third player, someone of the ilk of Wesneski…”

Cozzi would then bring up the big question of whether that’s too much to give up in a second major deal for a rental player this season.

Risk vs. Reward

His co-host would follow up with the only possible response– it depends on how much the organization values winning in the moment.

Per Olbur:

“If you really want to get into the nuance of it, it’s how much do you value winning the division. If you trade Owen Caissie, and you already traded Cam Smith, for Tucker and Cease and you win 91 baseball games, you win the division, but you lose that three-game series at Wrigley Field to start the postseason…is it a successful season? Was it worth trading those prospects?”

There’s definitely a lot to think about when it comes to pulling the trigger on a trade like this. Cozzi mentions it as almost an ethical dilemma for Hoyer, as he enters this final year of his contract with the Cubs. Is it right to deplete his team’s farm system in pursuit of a contract extension via winning 2025 campaign (or as he walks out the door, possibly headed to another team)?

The Cubs adding Cease should all but guarantee a postseason run this year, but does winning now trump the slow build– and risk– of trying to establish a long-term winning organization?

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The Chicago Cubs signed free agent pitcher Matthew Boyd this offseason to a two-year, $29 million deal. It was the first significant move the team made in preparation of their stated “all in” 2025 push towards postseason play.

And even right now, the signing of the soon-to-be 34-year-old Boyd ranks as the team’s second biggest offseason acquisition, behind their trade for Houston Astros star Kyle Tucker.

Adding Boyd to a rotation that already had Justin Steele, Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon, and Javier Assad seemed to be a pretty significant move.

The Reality Regarding Matthew Boyd

However, as things may turn out, even under a best case scenario, the Cubs will have merely swapped the limited innings and output of Kyle Hendricks for a more effective replacement. That’s not a bad thing, but it’s a far cry from some fans’ expectations that the Cubs might’ve added a top-of-rotation stud when they got Boyd.

In a recent interview on 670 The Score, Cubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy talked about Boyd and what the team can realistically expect from the veteran pitcher who just came back from Tommy John surgery at the end of the 2024 campaign.

Per Hottovy:

“There’s definitely some risk/reward there… If we’re sitting here today and we say, ‘Matt Boyd throws 120 innings of really good baseball,’ I think we’d all be really happy about that. Anything above that would be great…We know when he’s on the field, he’s a really good pitcher…

One thing [Craig] Counsell talks about all the time is that it’s a puzzle to cover 1,400, almost 1,500 innings in the course of the season. Starters, if you’re a good team and your starting rotation is good, you’re covering 850 to 950 of those innings. It’s all one big puzzle. You’re putting the pieces together.

I think the combination of signing a Matt Boyd, with the upside, but with some injury history, with guys like Colin Rea being able to cover some of that, knowing that you have some guys who can step in to cover some major innings if we need to make some moves, I think is very important.”

Sobering Words

So, that’s 120 innings, optimistically, to replace Hendricks’ 130.2 innings and then some significant shuffling for fill-ins.

But, really, what could one expect?

The oft-injured Boyd has thrown a combined 202.2 innings over the last four seasons and hasn’t broken 100+ innings since 2019. The hopes are that the 2023 Tommy John surgery repaired the damage that has been breaking the 10-year veteran down.

The reality, though, is that the Cubs’ hopes are just hopes and a calculated gamble based on the pitcher’s quality comeback at the end of last season and brilliant postseason performances that saw him give up just one earned run in 11.2 innings for the Cleveland Guardians.

The Plan All Along

That’s why the Cubs picked up Colin Rea via free agency– a starting rotation puzzle piece for a rotation many deemed as already set. That’s also why the team was said to be targeting a high-end starting pitcher even after they signed Boyd.

A six-man rotation could be a way to keep Boyd full-season healthy and full-season productive. It could also aid Assad, who seems to have some durability issues.

It’s more likely, though, that the Cubs will roll with the customary 5-man cycle and pull pieces as wear, tear, and strain dictate.

Boyd, meanwhile, will be what the team knew he was all along– a back of the rotation, cross your fingers he stays healthy, calculated gamble.

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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.

The post Chicago Cubs’ ace Justin Steele sees a “stud” in this young Cubs pitching prospect appeared first on ChiCitySports.

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 acquired veteran right-handed pitcher Colin Rea on a one-year, $5 million free agent deal.

The acquisition came as a surprise to many, as most felt the Cubs would be targeting a shutdown closer for the bullpen, a younger and stronger starting arm, and/or infield depth pieces with third base possibility.

Keen observers definitely did not see Chicago picking up a 34-year-old, bottom of rotation piece rather than all of the above.

Acquiring Colin Rea Was Puzzling

Rea is not a bad pitcher and the deal, which includes a team option for 2026, isn’t a bad deal. On most teams, this would’ve been considered a solid acquisition.

But adding Rea doesn’t line up with the Cubs’ needs. It also pulls money away from Chicago’s other, more pressing, needs– a frustrating detour for a team that seems more and more concerned with budget issues.

On the surface, Rea was brought on to provide depth and flexibility. He would be an insurance policy in case of injury, a capable veteran who would serve as a bullpen long relief guy until needed to step into a rotation spot.

He could even win a rotation spot, adding more veteran stability to the staff.

At the very least, Rea is a stable presence that could assume a leadership role if/when the Cubs make a playoff run. Manager Craig Counsell knows him from his Milwaukee Brewers days and, apparently, trusts and values his ability to contribute. That could be good enough to earn a roster spot ahead of a younger, less-proven pitcher.

But, could there be another reason behind adding Rea to a staff that, apparently, doesn’t currently need his services?

Chicago Cubs Toying With The Idea Of A Six-Man Rotation?

The idea of experimenting with a 6-man rotation has been tossed around a bit and it could be a possibility for the Cubs in 2025.

Moving from the 5-man rotation has its pros and cons, both in theory and in limited MLB practice.

On the pro side, a 6-man starting crew preserves pitcher arm strength and lets starters bring more of their physical “A game” to the latter part of the season. It’s also considered to combat injury and fatigue. Limited use in MLB has shown all of the above to be true, with advanced analytics confirming the physical benefits.

Those against the idea point out that such a rotation can throw pitchers off their schedule and routine. It also, ultimately, gives fewer innings to the aces of the staff as they will have fewer starts. Another factor is that the addition of an extra starter means one fewer reliever. Analytics show that bullpen performance drops over the long haul as the extra burden begins to wear on relievers.

The Nippon Professional Baseball League in Japan regularly uses a 6-man rotation as standard practice and the benefits of health and longevity for their starters is clearly evident.

The Rotation, As Of Today

As things sit with the Cubs right now, the starting five is pretty much set at Justin Steele, Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon, Matthew Boyd, and Javier Assad. Jordan Wicks, Ben Brown, Cade Horton, and now Colin Rea are also rotation possibilities.

It wouldn’t take much imagination to picture Counsell slipping Rea in as the sixth starter in a 6-man rotation. The move could specifically benefit Imanaga and Assad as pitchers who may struggle with a full season workload. It could also help the recently rehabbed Boyd. It wouldn’t be the craziest idea to want to preserve rotation vitality for the dog days of summer.

We’ll see soon enough what the Cubs have in mind with Rea.

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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.

The post Chicago Cubs-San Diego Padres Trade Proposal: A Path to the World Series appeared first on ChiCitySports.

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.

The post The Chicago Cubs need to have a strong starting rotation if they hope to make the playoffs appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs placed the focus on pitching for the 2025 season well before the hot stove league got even marginally warm.

The focus, according to reports, was going to be on starting pitching and, then, on bullpen depth. Thus far, some of that has been accomplished, but even Cubs brass would admit that the job hasn’t been finished just yet, as everyone puts the holidays behind them and focuses on adding more to their respective teams.

Here’s a look at what the Cubs have added– and subtracted– to their pitching staff so far this off season:

Additions:

Rob Zastryzny
Eli Morgan
Matthew Boyd
Cody Poteet
Caleb Thielbar

Subtractions:

Heyden Wesneski
Yency Almonte
Drew Smyly
Adbert Alzolay
Kyle Hendricks
Jorge Lopez

The Starter Situation

Right now, the Cubs have a pretty solid 5-man rotation set for the coming season. Cleveland Guardians lefty Matthew Boyd was brought aboard to essentially take the place of Kyle Hendricks on a 2-year, $29 million deal.

The Rehabbed Boyd, who dazzled after returning from Tommy John surgery in late 2024, will most likely be an upgrade over the beloved but inconsistent Hendricks, even in a worst case scenario.

As of right now, the rotation is set with Justin Steele, Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon, Boyd, and Javier Assad making up the starting 5. Jordan Wicks and Ben Brown will be young backup, just in case. Losing Heyden Wesneski in the Kyle Tucker trade takes one big arm out of contention, but it won’t likely be too large of a factor.

It’s quite likely that the Cubs will add another starter before spring training, adding to the rotation depth and, perhaps, forcing Assad into a long relief role.

Thus far this offseason, the team has been tied to rumors regarding Jesús Luzardo, Luis Castillo, and Pablo López, so it’s clear that they’re serious about adding someone. They also still have their line cast for the big fish, Japanese star Roki Sasaki

The Reliever Situation

The Cubs have yet to add that big closer so many wanted them to pursue. The probable reason for that is that they feel they already have him in the form of Porter Hodge, who was shutdown-excellent over the last part of the season.

Most likely, the Cubs will pursue a solid middle relief presence– if they choose to dip into the deeper end of the remaining free agent talent pool at all. Picking up Eli Morgan and Cody Poteet attest to that possible mindset, as does the recent one-year free agent acquisition of former Minnesota Twin, lefty Caleb Thielbar and the waiver wire acquisition of Milwaukee Brewers lefty Rob Zastryzny at the end of last season.

Young talent like Wicks and Brown will be around to boost the rest of the relief corps.

The Chicago Cubs Final Tally

The Cubs pitching staff is clearly still a work in progress. All in all, most of the pieces are there. Maybe one or two additions, plus some good coaching, will deliver a post-season-prepared staff.

The post Chicago Cubs 2025 Pitching: The Story So Far appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Could the Chicago Cubs bag Vladimir Guerrero Jr. for their “all in” 2025 season?

That’s what one analyst believes.

Currently in the middle of a fierce extension dispute with the Toronto Blue Jays, the 25-year-old talent is set to hit the open market as a free agent after the 2025 season. And while he’s stated his desire to remain in Toronto, he’s also made it abundantly clear that he’s not happy with the team’s offers thus far and that he’s shutting down talks when spring training begins.

Could The Blue Jays Be Looking To Trade Guerrero?

So, from the Blue Jays perspective, it may make sense to deal their slugger and get some talent back in anticipation of losing him.

Jim Riley of the BallCap Sports YouTube channel sees the Cubs as a possible fit for Guerrero and he’s also cooked up the return package that might entice Toronto to make a deal.

Per Riley:

“It is going to be Kevin Alcantara, he’s the prize piece, along with Javier Assad and Cole Mathis. Alcantara is the number 76 prospect in baseball. Assad probably works into the rotation immediately and you’ve got Cole Mathis as the number 12 prospect in the Cubs organization. So you get an outfielder, a prospect outfielder who did make his debut last year, a project prospect in Mathis, who also is listed as a pitcher, and you’ve got Assad who is there immediately making a big impact right away, day one.”

On the surface, the swap seems far-fetched.

A Far-Fetched Deal For The Chicago Cubs

It’s doubtful that the Chicago Cubs, after trading for Kyle Tucker from the Houston Astros, would bring aboard another big-ticket star in the last year of team control, who they will most likely not be able to re-sign. For Chicago, bringing aboard Tucker and Guerrero would mean that anything other than a deep playoff run or World Series appearance would be considered a major loss for the franchise– and the loss of significant young talent for two, ultimately pointless, one-year star rentals.

But…

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is special

A lot was expected from Guerrero as he emerged as a teenage mega-prospect. The son of Hall of Famer Vladimir Sr., Guerrero was watched and talked about as a “can’t miss” prospect and, in some quarters, given the preposterously grandiose tag of “best prospect ever.” But, amazingly, for the most part, he’s lived up to the hype.

The Toronto Blue Jays first basemen, since hitting his offensive stride in 2021, has averaged 34 home runs and 101.25 RBIs a year.

Contemporary great Aaron Judge has vouched for Guerrero’s greatness.

“It’s impressive to see his approach,” The Yankee outfielder said. “He just looks like he’s never off balance, never fooled. He’s on every single pitch.”

Baseball America issued the following high praise via scouting report:

“Guerrero is a prodigious offensive talent, with the combination of hitting ability, plate discipline and power in the mold of Manny Ramirez. Guerrero has high-end bat speed and outstanding bat control. With hitting mannerisms reminiscent of his father, Guerrero has a compact but aggressive swing.”

He’s a “real one,” indeed.

But Chicago Cubs fans shouldn’t get their hopes up.

Although it would be beautiful to see the righty/lefty Guerrero/Tucker tandem in the Cubs’ starting lineup, it’s tough to see a Guerrero-to-Chicago deal happening.

Follow me on Twitter at @boxing_tribune, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Paul Magno via email at paulmagno@theboxingtribune.com.

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The Chicago Cubs’ stated priority this offseason was starting pitching. They somewhat addressed that desire when they signed Cleveland Guardians left-hander Matthew Boyd to a two-year, $29 million contract a couple of weeks back.

Many see Boyd, however, as a Cubs front office trademark low-risk/high-reward budget deal for, at best, some middle-of-rotation or back-of-rotation depth.

If that’s the case, then the team is still in the market for a starter. And that probably IS the case since the Cubs are making a play for Japanese star Roki Sasaki and reportedly have feelers into several other possible trades and free agent signings for rotation help.

A Solution to the Chicago Cubs’ Starting Rotation Needs

One of the more intriguing ideas to pop up when it comes to Chicago’s pursuit of starters comes in the form of Minnesota Twins ace Pablo Lopez.

According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Twins are looking to sell off some assets and have been listening to offers regarding the veteran right-hander.

The seven-year veteran Lopez has been a steady, even-handed presence since becoming a full-time starter in the second half of the 2018 season for the Miami Marlins. Prior to the 2023 season, he was then traded to the Twins, where his solid, steady ways continued. In 2023, he made the AL All-Star Team and finished seventh in Cy Young voting.

2024 was a bit of a down year for the Venezuela native, but he still performed as a high-end starter with a 15-10 record and a 4.08 ERA in 185.1 innings. His 2.5 WAR was his lowest since the COVID-abbreviated 2020 season where he had a 1.4 WAR in eleven starts.

Controllable Years

Most enticing of all for the Cubs is that the soon-to-be 29-year-old Lopez is signed through the 2027 season. Although his $21 million salary may make the Ricketts wince, that figure may turn out to be a budget price for a top-of-rotation starter as free agency prices continue to skyrocket.

The Possible Asking Price for Pablo Lopez

Mark Powell of Fansided believes that Chicago could conceivably bring Lopez home in exchange for outfield prospect Kevin Alcantara and pitching prospect Jaxon Wiggins.

Per Powell:

“If Chicago wanted to pivot in a different direction without forfeiting their entire farm system, former Marlins pitcher and current Twins ace Pablo Lopez would be an ideal place to look. The Twins are willing to sell off some assets, and Lopez would retrieve a nice return.

Alcantara is a top-100 prospect who could start in the big leagues on Opening Day for Minnesota. Wiggins is the Cubs No. 9 prospect – and they have a strong system, mind you – who could make his way through the Twins system rather quickly. At 23 years old, Wiggins is Chicago’s second-best pitching prospect and only needs reps.

This may seem like an overpay for the Cubs, but much like the free-agent market, starting pitching is expensive.”

The option of bringing an arm or two in via trade has become an increasingly appealing alternative for teams like the Cubs, who have an aversion to free agent purchases and a deep farm system to facilitate high-end deals.

The Cubs’ rotation is currently comprised of Justin Steele, Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon, Matthew Boyd, and Javier Assad, with Jordan Wicks and Ben Brown also in line for a rotation spot. It’s a solid, but potentially shaky crew that could definitely benefit from a solid, dependable presence near the front of the rotation if Chicago is indeed “all in” when it comes to winning the NL Central Division.

Follow me on Twitter at @boxing_tribune, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Paul via email at paulmagno@theboxingtribune.com.
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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.

The post Chicago Cubs starter Javier Assad is the latest pitcher to hit the injured list appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Another Cubs win over Colorado, another day without a Milwaukee celebration

Suddenly, the Chicago Cubs are healthy again. And thanks to the Miami Marlins, the champagne remains in cold storage for another day in the Milwaukee Brewers clubhouse in Miami.

Ultimately, the Brewers are going to pop champagne corks as National League Central Division champions. But for another day, the Cubs kept that celebration on hold and kept their one-game lead over the Marlins for the thiird and final National Wild Card berth after a 6-3 victory on Saturday. With Cincinnati blowing an early 9-0 lead against the Pittsburgh Pirates and losing, 13-12, the Reds dropped to 2 1/2 games behind the Cubs in the final wild card chase..

The Rockies held a 3-1 lead into the fifth inning until the Cubs chipped away at it, scoring one run in the fifth, one in the sixth, breaking the tie with a run in the seventh and two  more in the eighth for good measure.

Christopher Morel helped put the win away for the Cubs with an eighth-inning solo home run.

Elias Diaz’s RBI single and an RBI double by Brenton Doyle staked the Rockies to a 3-1 lead in the second inning against Cubs starter Marcus Stroman, who was back on the mound after recuperating from a right rib cartilage fracture. Stroman would go three innings in his return, allowing the three runs on five hits with one walk and two strikeouts.

Nico Hoerner’s sacrifice fly plated Miles Mastrobuoni to make it 3-2 in the fifth. The Cubs tied it at 3-all when Yan Gomes lined a double to left field to bring in Seiya Suzuki.

The North Siders took the lead in the seventh when Mike Tauchman walked and was replaced by pinch-runner Pete Crow-Armstrong, Hoerner and Ian Happ walked to load the bases against Nick Mears (0-1). Justin Lawrence relieved Mears, but the damage was done as Cody Bellinger lofted a sacrifice fly to left field to bring home Crow-Armstroing with the go-ahead score.

After Morel’s home run in the eighth, Mastrobuoni walked, stole second and scored on a Hoerner single to center field.

Javier Assad (5-3) relieved Stroman and went four strong innings for the victoiry, allowing two hits and striking out six Rockies hitters. Julian Merryweather got out of trouble in the eighth without a run scoring and Jose Cuas pitched the ninth to claim his second career Major League save,  his first year.

Left-hander Jordan Wicks (3-1) will get the ball in the finale of the series Sunday afternoon against fellow lefty Ty Blach (3-2).

The post From A Distance: Rockies making Cubs well again appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Alexander Canario goes 2-for-4 with 5 RBIs, including grand slam, in Cubs triumph

You just had a feeling that when the plane landed at O’Hare Airport the Chicago Cubs were going to immediately wipe out the memory of a bad road trip.

And it was a rookie making his Major League debut who had the biggest impact in a much-needed laugher.

Alexander Canario went 2-for-4 and drove in five runs, including a grand slam that highlighted an eight-run eighth inning, leading the Cubs to a much-needed 14-1 rout of the Pittsburgh Pirates at the friendly confines of Wrigley Field Tuesday night.

The victory ended a five-game losing streak and a skid of eight losses in the last 10 games and pushed the Cubs another game closer to a postseason berth as the third and final wild card team in the National League.

The Cubs got it going behind the man who has provided a spark throughout the year, shortstop Dansby Swanson, who belted a two-run home run in the first, his 21st of the season.

Patrick Wisdom’s RBI double brought in Christopher Morel to make it 3-0, and after Ke’Bryan Hayes hit a home run in the third inning, it was Seiya Suzuki connecting for his 19th home run of the year to make it 4-1.

Then the Alexander Canario Show took place. He doubled over left fielder Bryan Reynolds head for a double — his first Major League hit — to bring in Morel and make it 5-1 in the sixth.

Two innings later, the Cubs exploded for their snowman inning and it was the 23-year-old Alexander Canario again who made the biggest impact with a grand slam to left-center field to make it 10-1. Soon after that, Cody Bellinger rocked his 26th home run of the season, a three-run shot to dead center field, to make it 13-1 and Jared Young tripled home Suzuki to round out the scoring.

Javier Assad (4-3) went the first five innings, allowing the Hayes home run on five hits and striking out eight. He turned it over to the bullpen as four relievers threw hitless ball the final four innings with two walks and eight more strikeouts, leaving the Pirates human windmills with 16 strikeouts on the evening.

More importantly, the Cubs remained by their lonesomes in the third wild card spot in the NL as the Miami Marlins beat the New York Mets, 4-3, on Tuesday.

Lefty Justin Steele (16-4) gets the start for the Cubs tonight against Pirates right-hander MItch Keller (12-9). Lets see if Alexander Canario can keep it going.

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When the Cubs needed someone to step up and take hold of a rotation spot, Javier Assad has answered the call and excelled.

Early in the season as the Cubs were having their ups and downs, there was always one constant. That was the starting rotation. Between Stroman, Steele, Smyly, and eventually Hendricks you were getting quality starts almost every game. You also had Taillon, who was and is terrible but is making too much money not to be starting, closing out the rotation. That left a guy like Javier Assad on the outside looking in.

I’m sure he had to be a bit disappointed as he was very good during his short stint in the Bigs last year, and was also awesome for Mexico in the WBC. Even still, he would make the Opening Day roster, but with little success as he would be up and down from Triple-A a few of times. Assad would sport an unsightly 5.61 ERA after giving up 3 runs against the Giants in Mid-June.

From there on, Assad would start to lock-in. He would give up just two runs over his next 24.1 innings pitched. That would drop Javier Assad’s ERA all the way down to a much cleaner 3.24, which would lead to this all-time sound bite. As he was coming into his own, the Cubs rotation would be starting to falter, and a lot of changes would soon be on the way.

Marcus Stroman, an early season Cy Young candidate and All Star, would become ineffective and land on the IL with what was initially a hip injury that turned into a rib fracture. He now hasn’t thrown a game since the 31st of July. Even before Stroman’s injury, Drew Smyly was beginning to get hit hard. After his five innings scoreless outing in Pittsburgh on June 19th, he would allow at least four runs in seven of his next nine starts with three of them being seven runs. The team knew they needed to make some changes to save the season.

With Javier rolling and fairly well stretched up thanks to being in long relief, he was the man they inserted into the rotation. To say that he has responded well would be a huge understatment. After his most recent gem against the Reds, he has now made 6 starts with a measly 1.95 ERA with just eight earned in 37 innings. He has just two decisions, mostly thanks to a Cubs bullpen having blown three more possible wins for Assad, but the team has went an impressive 5-1 in his starts. The one loss came in the 9th inning collapse in Cincinnati.

So how does he get it done? I’d say his approach is the “kitchen sink” method. He doesn’t have stuff that jumps off the page, but he has a lot of pitches and knows how to use them. He throws a Sinker, Cutter, 4-seamer, Slider, Curveball, Changeup. Baseball Savant has him using those first three at least 20% of the time each.

Against righties, he is mainly sinkers, four-seamers, and sliders. He will dot the bottom and outside part of the play with the sinker, try to run heaters in or up, and use the slider off of those to either get a swing-and-miss or weak roll over contact. Lefties are usually met with mostly cutters and sinkers. He loves to keep the sinker down or front door it to freeze lefties and run cutters in on the hands for weak contact. This pitching ninja video below shows this perfectly.

Javier Assad's 2Ks in the 8th…and is fired up. pic.twitter.com/mtPRuOLvUu

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 3, 2023

Another thing Javier Assad has been great since his move to the rotation is that he’s not been afraid to use his defense. When he was coming out the the ‘pen, he was carrying a pretty high walk rate that would get him in trouble at times. Plus, he doesn’t carry a huge K% to make up for it as he sits below league average at just 19%. Since his move to starting, he has averaged less than 2 walks a start. When you have a defense with Nico, Dansby, and Bellinger, it is best to use them. It keeps them engaged and his pitch count down. Doing so has helped him pitch at least seven innings in half of his six starts.

At the most important time of the season, The Cubs needed someone to step up, and Javier Assad answered the call. He pitches with heart and passion He has gone deep into games in a time when so few do. He is a bulldog. Should the Cubs pencil the name “Javier Assad” in to start a playoff game, fans should not only be ok with it, they should feel confident because he has done nothing but deliver for the Northsiders.

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Javier Assad shut down Team USA and made it look easy.

Everybody is aware by now that Team USA’s World Baseball Classic roster is loaded with talent to historic proportions. Last night, Mexico dominated Team USA with a final score of 11-5. Cubs pitcher Javier Assad played a huge part in Mexico’s impressive win.

Javier Assad pitched 3 innings while only allowing one hit. The only player who managed to record a hit off Assad was the legendary Los Angeles Angel, Mike Trout. Assad managed to strike out New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso twice and consistently touched 97 on the radar gun.

ASSAD is filthyyyy. Rotation is deeeeeep! @Cubs https://t.co/vYrR8kRJfR

— Marcus Stroman (@STR0) March 13, 2023

While the Cubs’ fifth spot in the rotation is still seemingly up for grabs, this performance certainly bodes well for Javier Assad. Hayden Wesneski has also been dominant this spring. Wesneski arguably has the best chance to pin down that final rotation spot at this point in time. Either way, Cubs fans should be excited by the pitching depth the team will have this season.

The Cubs open up their season at home against the Milwaukee Brewers. They’ll take on their division rivals on Thursday, March 30th with Marcus Stroman likely to start. As the WBC and spring training continue to unfold, it will be interesting to see who winds up with the final rotation spot.

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The Cubs have announced four roster moves ahead of Tuesday’s double-header against the St. Louis Cardinals

The Chicago Cubs have made a few changes to their roster today, selecting right-handed pitcher Javier Assad, and optioned right-handed pitcher Kevin Castro to Iowa. Also, right-handed pitcher Nicholas Padilla has been selected from Iowa. This means that Assad and Padilla have been removed from the active 26 player roster, but will remain on the 40 player roster. In order to make room on the 40-player roster, outfielder Jason Hayward has also been transferred to the 60-day injured list, according to Cubs HQ.

Assad has been assigned uniform number 72, and is set to make his major league debut in the first game of today’s doubleheader. Padilla is assigned uniform number 58 and is also set to make his major r league debut today.

Assad, 25, was signed out of Baja, California by the Cubs as an international free agent in July of 2015. He was named a Midwest League mid-season All-Star in 2018 and a Carolina League mid-Season All-Star in 2019.

Padilla, 25, has a 1.69 ERA with a .167 opponent batting average, and a .279 opponent OBP in seven outings. Padilla played for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2015 before the Cubs claimed him off waivers in the Triple-A phase of the 2020 Rule 5 Draft. Over six minor league seasons, Padilla has allowed nine home runs in 991 batters faced, walked 87, and struck out 236.

Assad will likely be in line for a spot start before returning to Iowa, though if he fares better than expected he could change the Cubs’ current plans for him.

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