The Chicago Cubs might need to upgrade their starting rotation if they want to compete in October.
The Chicago Cubs are off to a great start this season, and their offense has emerged as one of the best in baseball.
Coming into the year, there were high expectations for the Cubs after they had a great winter.
The team significantly improved on paper, and despite winning 83 games in both 2023 and 2024, the bar was set high for the team during this campaign.
So far, Chicago has perhaps exceeded those expectations.
The Cubs have been the best team in the NL Central by a wide margin, and they are seeking to challenge some of the best in the National League.
As the team looks at the big picture and hopes to contend for a World Series, there is an area that they need to make some improvements in.
“The Cubs’ pitching is problematic, though, and losing Justin Steele to reconstructive elbow surgery did them no favors,” wrote Jeff Passan of ESPN.
The loss of Justin Steele for the year was a significant blow to the rotation of Chicago.
In 2024, he was their second-best pitcher alongside Shota Imanaga. Despite missing time with injury, he totaled a 3.07 ERA in 134.2 innings pitched.
That strong performance followed up a great campaign in 2023, as well.
Steele was on his way to becoming one of the best young pitchers in the league, but now will be out for the remainder of the season and part of 2026.
His absence is going to be an issue for the Cubs in the long run, especially when looking at the rest of the league. Some of the other contenders in the NL have multiple aces in their starting rotation, and Chicago can’t match up in a series against that currently.
They will need to address the rotation before the trade deadline if they are going to be a real threat, despite their offense being one of the best in the league so far.
Luckily, it appears like there should be no shortage of good options on the trade market this summer.
The Cubs are no stranger to working out deals as shown by this past winter, and they would be wise to bolster the staff with their talented southpaw out for the year.
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