Chicago Cubs Have Strong Starting Rotation With Major Potential Upside

The Chicago Cubs have a strong starting pitching rotation in place, but the upside for even more production is there.

Sep 16, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga (18) throws the ball against the Oakland Athletics during the first inning at Wrigley Field. / David Banks-Imagn Images

The Chicago Cubs are determined to make strides in 2025 to become the playoff contender they believe they capable of being.

The 2024 season was a disappointing one, as they won 83 games for the second consecutive year and missed the playoffs for a fourth straight campaign.

Hiring manager Craig Counsell away from the Milwaukee Brewers didn’t have the impact many had hoped for, but things are looking up.

Acquiring Kyle Tucker from the Houston Astros was a huge splash, as he will provide a major upgrade to the offensive production. He is an MVP-caliber producer when healthy while playing Gold Glove defense in right field.

Depth additions were also made at catcher with Carson Kelly and Matt Thaiss, and on the pitching staff when reliever Eli Morgan was acquired from the Cleveland Guardians and Matthew Boyd signed a two-year deal as a free agent.

Adding a starting pitcher was one of the needs for the Cubs this offseason.

They have a stellar duo atop the rotation with Justin Steele and Shota Imanaga. Jameson Taillon is a good veteran presence in the middle of mix, and youngsters Javier Assad and Jordan Wicks have legitimate upside.

That current group has the Cubs’ starting rotation ranked as No. 10 in baseball currently, with some more help on the way.

“The Cubs land in our last top 10 slot, but there is a lot of upside in their rotation that could propel them. First, Assad and Wicks are more than capable of pushing their projection-based ratings above league average. But more than that, there is a lot of upside in pitchers not listed above -- young righties Ben Brown and Cade Horton,” wrote Bradford Doolittle of ESPN.

Chicago is currently lacking star power compared to the teams ahead of them, ranking No. 11 in that category. Depth and dominance are also middle of the pack coming in at No. 15, with length being their best attribute at No. 8.

The younger players stepping into the role vacated by Kyle Hendricks should provide better production than he did this past season as well.

But, those rankings could all change should the Cubs be lucky enough to win the Roki Sasaki sweepstakes.

They are one of six teams who are still right in the mix for the international phenom, who would provide the team with a bonafide ace to anchor the staff.

“Now, imagine this promising group topped by a true No. 1. A month from now we might see that happen. At that point, Sasaki will have made his decision and early indicators are that the Cubs are in the conversation. This has a chance to be a special group, and we might not have to wait that long to see it,” Doolittle added.

With the Japanese star in the mix, Chicago would push much higher up the list.

Even without him, this is a talented group of pitchers whose ceiling will move even higher with Ben Brown and Cade Horton.

With some question marks involving the bullpen, there is some pressure on the starting staff to perform at a high level.

They are certainly capable of it, especially with a healthy campaign from Steele.