Chicago Cubs remain in ESPN’s top-10 of MLB power rankings despite slow start

At 6-6, the Chicago Cubs are the only team in the National League Central Division that is not over .500. While they sit in last place however, the season is still incredibly young and they certainly have the talent necessary to turn it around quickly. Pete Crow-Armstrong, for example, is off to a slow start, but history indicates that he will not struggle for long early in the season.

A huge area of concern, though, is starting pitching. With Cade Horton out for the year and Matthew Boyd on the injured list, the Cubs are scrambling to fill their rotation with quality starters.

Despite their struggles and injuries, though, ESPN still views them as a top-ten team.

The Chicago Cubs come in tenth in ESPN’s latest power rankings

Though 2026 has not started the way the Cubs had hoped it would, they still have the bones of a roster that won 92 games for them a year ago. Because of this, ESPN still considers them a top-10 MLB team:

“Losing Cade Horton for the season is a huge blow. The Cubs can replace the innings but not the production as the righty was an emerging ace but injury issues have plagued his career to this point. So where do they go from here? Javier Assad will take Horton’s place, and Justin Steele’s return from surgery is on the horizon as well. Chicago can make up for Horton’s loss, but it simply won’t be easy. The addition of Edward Cabrera — he has given up two hits in two starts — looms large. He might be the ace of this staff in short order.”

The concern about Cabrera is that he, too, has a significant injury history. While he is currently the most important starter in the rotation, there is no guarantee that he will be able to be present on the mound for the full season.

Chicago’s biggest strength right now is their young positional talent. While some of these players are struggling, it is only a matter of time before they figure it out and start clicking again.

Once that happens, if the starting rotation can hold serve, Chicago can still make some noise in the division.

More Chicago Cubs news from Wisconsin Sports Heroics

• Craig Counsell is not worried about Pete Crow-Armstrong’s slow start
• Another Cubs starter out of lineup due to injury
• Cubs sound notes of starting pitching positivity after stretch of bad luck

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