After consecutive 83-79 seasons and missing out on the playoffs both times, the Cubs are beginning one of their most crucial winters in recent years. As the hot stove season kicks off in earnest, we analyze the Cubs depth chart at each position and how Jed Hoyer and the Cubs front office might address the team’s needs.

Next up: Starting rotation

DEPTH CHART

1. Justin Steele
2. Shota Imanaga
3. Jameson Taillon
4. Javier Assad
5. Ben Brown
6. Jordan Wicks
7. Hayden Wesneski
8. Cade Horton
9. Caleb Kilian

ANALYSIS

You could argue that Steele and Imanaga should be switched on the depth chart. Heck, you could even reason to say that the two lefties and Taillon are 1a, 1b and 1c in the Cubs’ starting depth chart.

That’s not too shabby of a position to be in.

Imanaga finished fourth in NL Rookie of the Year and fifth in NL Cy Young voting after posting a 2.91 ERA in 173.1 innings across 29 starts. He was the team’s ace in 2024 and it wouldn’t be totally surprising if he’s the team’s Opening Day starter in March against the Dodgers in Japan.

Steele was solid once again in 2024, posting a 3.07 ERA in 134.2 innings. A hamstring injury on Opening Day and forearm issues late in the season hampered his ability to log as many innings as he did in 2023. That year, Steele finished 5th in Cy Young voting and had a 3.06 ERA in 173.1 innings. He also could be the Cubs Opening Day starter for the second year in a row, or he could start their Stateside opener in late March against the Diamondbacks.

Since his last start before the 2023 All-Star break, Taillon has been almost as good as the two southpaws. In 44 games (43 starts) in that time, Taillon has posted a 3.30 ERA and 1.12 WHIP in 256 innings. Among pitchers with at least 40 starts in that time span, Taillon’s ERA ranks 9th in baseball. He’s been a front-of-the-line starter for the Cubs and will likely enter 2025 as the Cubs’ third starter.

You could argue that the Cubs’ front 3 is as good as any in baseball. Assad, who has a 3.40 ERA in 294 career innings and made 29 starts in 2024 to a 3.73 ERA is a solid no. 4 starter, too. Cubs starters had a 3.77 ERA, the 6th-best in baseball.

The Cubs’ fifth starter from 2024, Kyle Hendricks had a perfect send-off and signed with the Angels earlier in the month. That leaves an opening in the rotation for the Cubs.

Being 4-deep in the rotation isn’t sustainable in today’s day and age. The Braves, who finished 3rd in starters’ ERA used 13 different starters in 2024 and 7 made 7 or more starts. The World Series champion Dodgers used 17 different starters and 14 made more multiple starts.

Depth is paramount and injuries will happen. That’s why the Cubs will be active this offseason looking to augment their starting staff. They’ll need way more than just Imanaga, Steele, Taillon and Assad if they hope to be playing in October in 2025.

WHAT’S NEXT

Those four starters are under control for at least the next two seasons and beyond, giving the Cubs a good foundation for their rotation for years to come. And behind them are a series of young arms with intriguing potential. But it might be too early to count on them, meaning the Cubs will likely dip into the free-agent market to strengthen their starters mix.

The Cubs won’t be in the mix for free agent Corbin Burnes. Lefty Max Fried is an intriguing option but signing him would come at the cost of a draft pick and international bonus pool money since he rejected a qualifying offer from Atlanta and the Cubs went over the luxury tax threshold.

Normally, that’s not a reason to rule out a free agent (the Cubs signed Dansby Swanson after he had rejected a qualifying offer), but this year’s international class is different. Roki Sasaki, the young Japanese pitching phenom, is expected to be posted in the 2025 international class and he’ll be able to sign for only the maximum of a team’s international bonus pool. Every penny in that pool might be crucial if the Cubs hope to sign the 23-year-old righty who has a career 2.02 ERA in 414.2 innings in Japan.

[MORE: Cubs move on from a pair of veteran role players]

Other free-agent starters like Jack Flaherty and Nathan Eovaldi could be options for the Cubs, too.

Much has been made of the offensive woes at Wrigley Field — it ranked 29th out of 30 MLB stadiums in park factor, per Statcast, making it one of the toughest places to hit in. While that may have hurt the Cubs’ bats, it’s no secret it helped their pitchers and the Cubs won’t be content with what they have pitching wise, so they’ll look to add to that group. Their position group seems largely set with players under control or with no-trade clauses limiting their ability to improve their team. Pitching could be the most direct way to improve the Cubs in 2025.

Brown burst onto the scene in 2024 when he was called up after Steele’s Opening Day injury. The righty had a 3.58 ERA in 15 games (8 starts) and a 1.08 WHIP across 55.1 innings. A neck injury ended his season in June, just a few starts after the best outing of his young career when he struck out 10 Brewers across 7 no-hit innings.

The righty is an interesting name because he could just as likely fill in the rotation or be a force out of the bullpen. His fastball-curveball mix plays well in either role, but if the Cubs have other starting options, Craig Counsell could opt to keep him in the bullpen and serve as an “out-getter”.

Wicks started 2024 in the Cubs Opening Day rotation, but he struggled both on the mound and staying healthy. He had a 5.48 ERA and a 1.63 WHIP in 11 games (10 starts) and 46 innings. The lefty dealt with an oblique injury most of the year. The 2021 1st-round pick could start the year in Triple-A Iowa as starter depth.

Throughout his big-league tenure, Wesneski has flashed tantalizing potential — he did again in 2024, too. But he’s also shown struggles, especially against left-handed hitters. In his career, lefties have slashed .248/.311/.465 (.776 OPS) against him, compared to a .209/.277/.375 (.652) slash line against righties. That’s hindered his progression as a starter in his career.

As a reliever, Wesneski has a career 3.56 ERA versus a 4.21 ERA against a starter. That’s partially because as a bullpen option, Wesneski is used against right-handed pockets to maximize his strengths. He’ll be stretched out in Spring Training and could serve as minor-league depth and make occasional starts for the Cubs.

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Kilian suffered an injury in Spring Training that caused him to miss most of the season. He returned in July and had a 3.22 ERA in 13 games (7 starts) for Iowa. He was called up late in the year and made 2 appearances for the Cubs, allowing 5 runs on 11 hits in 10.2 innings. The righty has shown potential in the minor leagues but has never put it together in his limited time in the major leagues (9.22 ERA in 8 games).

He’s out of options in 2025, meaning the Cubs would have to pass him through waivers before sending him to the minor leagues. He could serve as a long-relief or multi-inning reliever for the Cubs in 2025 but will be stretched out in spring like most starters are.

Horton looked prime for an MLB debut in 2024 — and then the injury bug struck. The 2022 1st-round pick was limited to just 9 appearances (34.1 innings) across Double-A and Triple-A. It’s hard to count on him being an option at the big-league level until he shows he’s healthy.

But if he can, that’s a tantalizing arm for the Cubs. He’ll likely be on an innings limit in 2025 — he had Tommy John surgery in 2021, returned to pitch for Oklahoma in 2022, then pitched 88.1 innings in 2023.

The injury bug that has struck Brown, Wicks, Wesneski, Kilian and Horton makes it tough to count on any of them to fill that fifth starter spot. It’s possible most, if not all, make starts for the Cubs in 2025. But the Cubs won’t just hand over the reins as a full-time MLB starter to them just yet, not especially as they look to compete for a playoff spot in 2025.

BOTTOM LINE

The Cubs rotation is the strength of this team — but it’s far from complete. Steele, Imanaga and Taillon form a solid top 3 of the rotation. But Hoyer and the Cubs will be active this offseason to continue to fortify their pitching corps and continue making the rotation the team’s forte.

State of the Cubs series
Catcher
First base
Second base
Third base
Shortstop
Left field
Center field
Right field
DH
Starting rotation: Nov. 26
Bullpen: Nov. 27