Chicago Cubs: Harsh realities await 2026 pitching product

The Chicago Cubs have a pitching problem– and it’s a pretty considerable one.

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Looking back at the end of their 2025 playoff run, it was almost a face-saving thing that they got eliminated in Game Five of the NLDS by the Milwaukee Brewers. There would’ve been a blood bath in the NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers if the Cubs’ pitching staff, such as it was at the end of the divisional series, had rolled up against Ohtani and company.

By the end of the five-game series against the Brewers, the Cubs had decided to shy away from using starter Shota Imanaga and were down to a two-man rotation of Jameson Taillon and Matthew Boyd (who, himself, was one start removed from a terrible postseason outing).

Chicago Cubs pitching limped to the 2025 finish line

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They could’ve used Colin Rea as a rotation piece and probably would’ve given Imanaga another start, just out of necessity. There were also rumblings over rookie phenom Cade Horton coming back from a fractured rib for the NLCS, but that had to be considered the longest of long shots.

There were some issues in the bullpen, also, as high-leverage guy Daniel Palencia had looked relatively pedestrian while Andrew Kittredge and Michael Soroka got touched up a bit.

So, yeah, things would’ve gotten pretty ugly as the Cubs’ pitching came limping into the NLCS.

However, as much as fans would like to think otherwise, it’s not likely that the Cubs are going to do a whole lot this offseason to make themselves significantly deeper and better in the pitching department.

Don’t expect an ace free agent acquisition

First, remove the notion that Chicago is digging deep into their pockets to pull a stud starting pitcher from the top of the free agency pool. The Cubs aren’t spending monster money on Framber Valdez, Dylan Cease, or even Zac Gallen. There’s also little possibility of a monster trade to bring someone like Sandy Alcantara aboard.

Most likely, ownership and the front office will count on a returning Justin Steele (who could be back from his elbow surgery by opening day or late-spring) as their top 2026 starting rotation addition and the picking up of Imanaga’s option as their top financial maneuver. In doing so, they’ll also be crossing their fingers that Boyd doesn’t regress, that Horton stays healthy and dominant, and that Imanaga finds his form again.

The conservative-minded Cubs will be content with a front five of Steele, Boyd, Imanaga, Horton, and Taillon with Colin Rea, Ben Brown, and Javier Assad as the fall-backs. On the surface, that IS a pretty solid rotation, but there’s also a lot of history of injury and inconsistency in that group as well.

Bullpen business as usual

In the bullpen, there will be massive turnover as five of the eight relievers on the NLDS roster are eligible for free agency and one (Kittredge) has a big $9 million team option over his head. Given the team’s history on such matters, it appears unlikely that bullpen standouts Brad Keller, Drew Pomeranz, and Caleb Thielbar will be brought back on a significantly beefed-up contract.

This means that the Cubs could very well see Palencia and Brown as the only holdover bullpen pieces from the end of 2025. The team will count greatly on the healthy return of Eli Morgan and the rebound of guys like Porter Hodge and Jordan Wicks. They’ll also look to once again piece together a solid bullpen with reclamation projects and strategic bargain bin one-year free agent pickups.

There could be a plethora of late-inning, closer-capable arms available this offseason— like Edwin Diaz, Robert Suarez, Ryan Helsley, Devin Williams, and Kyle Finnegan– but the Cubs will likely once again err on the side of frugality and roll the dice on Palencia, hoping that he doesn’t experience significant regression from his first year as a closer at the major league level.

If there are any deals or free agent pickups this offseason, expect them to be relatively minor. Barring unexpected injury, they’ll be fine with their starting rotation and insistent on their ability to build a competent bullpen on the cheap.

Unfortunately, this mindset could see the Cubs suffering through the same kind of postseason dilemmas they saw this season.

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Source: https://www.chicitysports.com/chicago-cubs-pitching-preview-2026-free-agents