*** Official 2025 Chicago Cubs Thread***
- Thread starter Cyforce
- Start date
You didn’t use “regress to the mean” in a post so that’s a start.
Shota Horton Steele and Boyd
Seems to be pretty solid then
Taillon Assad and I can’t imagine Rea not wanting to resign gives us beautiful depth plus Wiggins just got promoted to Iowa.
Rea has a club option of $6 mil for 2026. It's the Cubs choice not his if they want to pick up that option. With the way he has pitched this season I think they pick that up at that price even if he winds up in the bullpen as that is still a pretty affordable price tag for a guy that can be a swing guy. Kittredge has a $9 mil club option, I think he's pitched well enough they should probably pick up that option too but it's not a given either at that price given this FO tendency to go cheap. Hell they paid more than that combined on Brasier and Pressly who were horrible.
Steele still has to rehab and prove he's ready to go for 2026 too so signing another solid arm for the rotation is still a good idea as I would rather have too much pitching than not enough. Injuries happen. Assad and Rea would be good insurance depth that can pitch out of the bullpen effectively. If they don't sign another starter Taillon is a pretty good arm for a #5 guy but he probably would be the one needing to be traded if they do add to the rotation. Horton is making a case to be a top 3 guy in the rotation next year if this is the pitcher he is going to be going forward. Just feels like whenever we go into a season thinking we have enough quality starting pitching it never turns out to be the case which is why I think if there is a place to acquire a guy that can be in the top 3 of your rotation you do it then figure out the roles from there.
I would not count on Wiggins to be ready until 2nd half of 2026 at the earliest and when he does come up will likely be as a spot starter or reliever at first and not a regular in the rotation unless there is an injury or rotation needed.
If you look at this roster where are the positions you can improve at that can turn this from a good roster into a great one? To me, the rotation is the 1 place you can do that as good pitching is where you can get through slumps on offense. The decision on Tucker is basically going to determine how the money gets spent IMO. If he walks they probably replace him with Caissie and Alcantara and invest in pitching. If they resign him then you probably have to trade 1 of those 2 in a deal to improve pitching. Barring a drastic shift in how they view the positional players where else on the field do they significantly upgrade at? Shaw is their 3B at this point. Swanson is locked into a long deal at SS, Nico is in the final year of his deal and I think he is the guy you need to extend. Busch is cost controlled at 1B. in the OF PCA is going nowhere and unless you talk Happ or Suzuki into waiving their NTC they are locked in for 2026. Kelly and Amaya at C. Just no obvious position to upgrade unless you move someone out for a much better upgrade.
Horton is as good as anyone we can go out and get.
Granted Steele is a question for next year but I can’t imagine he won’t be good to go early next season. Wiggins let’s wait and see how this last month goes. He may be a spot start reliever late next year then a 27 starter.
Still we have Imanaga Horton Boyd Taillon Rea Assad plus Brown just might be able to figure out that third pitch. Based on all that I can’t imagine they spend on a starter. Better to add a star slugger, Tucker or Schwarber.
Yep, already bet the over. Also Assad vs. Irvin not exactly Cy Young candidates on the mound.
Listening to a podcast the other day and statistically Pete Crow Armstrong is the worst hitter in baseball since the beginning of August.
I like the Cubs starting staff next year if Steele comes back, but don't love it. And I wouldn't go crazy and sign some 6 yr $300M free agent. As we've seen over the last few years, starting pitchers are injury prone. And it's not going on 15 day IL.
Would still like the Cubs to find a solid, hard throwing FA starter to match Horton's velocity. Maybe more in the $25M AAV. Then fill the remaining 4 starter spots among: Steele, Taillon, Imanaga, Boyd, Rea, Assad, Brown (?). There is some off-season trade value among those 7 names. And I would plan on having 6 proven MLB starter arms on the staff. We've seen so many teams blunder their season away because multiple starters have season ending injuries (Braves, Baltimore, etc.)
Then the Cubs FO needs to:
- solidify the bullpen
- sign a stud slugger
- trade Happ or Suzuki if they re-sign Tucker
- sign a solid RH hitter to platoon with Busch and spot DH (unless they figure Long, Suzuki or Happ can fill that role).
- Have a legitimate plan for Caissie, Alcantara, Long and Ballesteros to get MLB at bats in 2026. Any top prospect they can't get 150+ at bats in Chicago next season should be traded.
I kind of see your point, but I imagine it’s because they could lose their next 19 games and still be over .500.
They're IL-ing Tucker. Not going to win the division, comfortable lead for home field, get him healthy for the playoffs.
