Wednesday, October 21

Welcome back to the Cubs Beat newsletter. Jordan Bastian has covered baseball for MLB.com since 2005, including the Cubs since the 2019 season.

CHICAGO -- There is a non-zero chance that the five-man rotation that the Cubs used at the end of the regular season is gone in its entirety come Opening Day next year. Chicago’s front office may make a push to bring back at least one arm from that group, but the whole cast might very well hit free agency.

That reality, along with the wave of injuries and issues that impacted the Cubs’ starting group in 2026, make rebuilding the rotation this offseason a top priority for the ballclub. That was the message delivered by Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer after his team was knocked out of the postseason following an 89-win season.

“From a pitching standpoint this year, it was sort of a struggle from the get-go,” Hoyer said. “Some of that was based on injuries to some guys we were really counting on. But some of it was based on poor performance, some poor acquisition. And so, I think that’s something we have to look at.”

Let’s run through the Cubs’ pitching situation this offseason:

Free agents

When injuries left the staff extremely thin in late June, the Cubs pulled off a classic change-of-scenery trade with the Mets to add lefty David Peterson. His ability to generate grounders fit well with Chicago’s elite defense, and he ended the season as one of the team’s best-performing arms (1.27 ERA in four starts before the playoffs).

Peterson is set to become a free agent, along with righty Kevin Gausman, who was picked up at the Trade Deadline from the Blue Jays. Gausman had mixed results for the Cubs and finished the season impacted by a left shoulder injury, though he started Game 2 of the Wild Card Series against the Padres.

Lefty Shota Imanaga is also set to reach free agency for a second offseason in a row after accepting a one-year, qualifying offer last winter. Imanaga had some issues with allowing home runs, but on the whole turned in a solid season for the Cubs in ‘26 (his third season with the North Siders).

Farther down the depth chart, the Cubs also have an upcoming free agent in righty Aaron Civale. Now, Civale was used as a multi-inning reliever under manager Craig Counsell -- excelling with a 1.72 ERA in 18 appearances in ‘26 -- but has mostly worked as a starting pitcher throughout his career.

Contract options

The Cubs also have a group of starters who can reach free agency via options:

• Lefty Matthew Boyd: $15 million mutual option ($2 million buyout)

• Righty Clay Holmes: $12 million player option

• Righty Colin Rea: $7.5 million team option ($1 million buyout)

Boyd was an All-Star in ‘25 and the Cubs’ Opening Day starter in ‘26, taking the ball in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series, too. Behind the scenes, he is revered as a great teammate and leader. While his ‘26 season was interrupted by mid-summer surgery on his left knee, he was solid across the board once again for the Cubs.

Holmes was picked up at the Deadline from the Mets and had mixed results in his two-month tenure with the team. That said, his exceptional ground-ball rate and reputation behind the scenes made him a great fit with Chicago. Boyd, Holmes and Peterson all seem like strong candidates for the Cubs to push to keep.

The veteran Rea has been a valuable piece of Counsell’s innings puzzle for the past two seasons, making 46 starts and 20 relief appearances across ‘25-26. The question for ‘27 is whether the Cubs feel they can fill that type of depth role at a lower cost.

Returnees

Behind the arms listed above, the Cubs’ internal options consist of Javier Assad, Ben Brown, Edward Cabrera, Braxton Garrett and Justin Steele. One tier down at Triple-A Iowa, lefty Jordan Wicks has MLB experience and prospect Jaxon Wiggins (Pipeline’s No. 6 Cubs prospect) is among the farmhands on the radar.

There is also righty Cade Horton (runner-up for the National League Rookie of the Year in ‘25), but he is on the comeback trail from right elbow surgery. Horton should be an option in ‘27 (in the first half, if everything goes well), but it is hard to make any firm predictions.

Similarly, Steele did not pitch in the Majors in ‘26 while making a comeback from elbow issues and Brown saw a promising season end in June due to a neck injury. Cabrera was sidelined multiple times between a leg injury and blister issues. Garrett (acquired from the Marlins at the Deadline) returned to action in ‘26 after elbow issues of his own.

Imanaga finished the ‘26 season with 174 strikeouts and 37 walks for the North Siders. Prior to Imanaga, who was the last Cubs pitcher to finish with at least 170 strikeouts and fewer than 40 free passes in one season?

A. Justin Steele

B. Jake Arrieta

C. Greg Maddux

D. Fergie Jenkins

• The PCA Q&A: Cubs star reflects on incredible year. Read more >>

• Cubs lead the NL with 5 Gold Glove nominees. Read more >>

• Cubs’ No. 28 prospect Reid shows off arsenal in AFL. Read more >>

• This stat stood out from the Cubs’ farm system in ‘26. Read more >>

• Sarah Langs: 3 reasons the Rays-Brewers World Series matchup is intriguing. Read more >>

“I think there’s a way to make sure that there’s less questions asked about this roster every year. Maybe I just read into that stuff a little too much, but there’s no reason that people should be questioning this team’s ability moving forward. Whatever we do about that, we do. But you’ve seen what the offense can do this year. I think we will continue to do it. This is the direction we should be moving, and it’s an exciting direction to be moving in, for sure.” -- Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong

A. Justin Steele

Technically, Imanaga was the last Cubs pitcher to do this, because he not only did so in ‘26, but also in his standout ‘24 rookie campaign. Steele also achieved the feat with 176 strikeouts and 36 walks in ‘23. Beyond Imanaga and Steele, Cubs icon Fergie Jenkins is the only pitcher to do so in one season (his Cy Young-winning 1971 tour).

To subscribe to Cubs Beat, visit this page and mark "Cubs Beat" from our newsletter list. Make sure you're following the Cubs or that they're checked as your favorite team.

View Online

© 2026 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. MLB trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball. Visit MLB.com. Any other marks used herein are trademarks of their respective owners.

Please review our Privacy Policy.

You (mlb-newsletters@mlb.com) received this message because you registered to receive commercial email messages or purchased a ticket from MLB. 

Please add info@marketing.mlbemail.com to your address book to ensure our messages reach your inbox. If you no longer wish to receive commercial email messages from MLB.com, please unsubscribe or log in and manage your email subscriptions.

Postal Address: MLB.com, c/o MLB Advanced Media, L.P., 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.