Biggest Need: Starting Pitchers
At least Atlanta has Chris Sale atop its starting rotation.
Chicago has a certified mess on its hands.
By leaps and bounds, the Cubs’ most reliable starting pitcher has been Ben Brown with a 1.85 ERA. But he was a middle reliever until about six weeks ago, this after posting a 5.92 ERA and minus-1.5 bWAR in 2025. Let’s just say he wasn’t Plan A for Game 1 of the postseason a month ago.
Not much else is working for them, though. Shota Imanaga has imploded a few too many times. Trading for Edward Cabrera hasn’t been the windfall they hoped it would be. Matthew Boyd is still recovering from playing with his kids in early May. Cade Horton is done for the year. And who knows if Justin Steele will ever return from the IL?
With nary a top 75 prospect in this farm system, trading for Tarik Skubal is a pipe dream. Acquiring Freddy Peralta probably isn’t happening, either.
If Miami ultimately ends up selling, though, this could be where Sandy Alcantara lands. He has a $21M club option for 2027, but the Cubs have five big salaries—Imanaga, Boyd, Jameson Taillon, Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki—hitting free agency this winter and should have no problem fitting that figure into next year’s budget.
If they’d prefer to go the “relatively inexpensive rental” route, both Detroit’s Casey Mize and Kansas City’s Kris Bubic ought to be available as plausible postseason starters. Each one has a lengthy injury history, which is just about the last thing this team needs, already seemingly losing an arm to the IL every 7-10 days. Either one could be huge if healthy, though.