A look at the Chicago Cubs’ greatest under-the-radar 2026 strength

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.

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Source: https://www.chicitysports.com/chicago-cubs-pitching-depth-swingmen-2026-rea-assad-brown/