The Chicago Cubs have sprinted out to a 35-21 record to begin the season. Led by one of the best offenses in baseball, their record is their best start since their World Series-winning 2016 squad. But despite their parallels to that iconic team, some issues persist in 2025.
For starters, their rotation has been interesting. Injuries and poor performance have left many Cubs fans wondering if this rotation can compete come October. Add to this the shakiness of the bullpen, and all of a sudden, pitching as a whole becomes a major issue for the Cubs. But it seems like an issue the Cubs front office is willing to address.
In a recent interview with the Marquee Sports Network, Cubs president of Baseball operations Jed Hoyer did not mince words when discussing the trade market.
“To quote our manager, we just need to get outs, you know?” said Hoyer. “And so we have to figure that out, whether it’s the beginning of the game or the end of the game. [Our depth has] been tested, and we have to assume that that’s not going to stop, that we’ll continue to be tested. We have to continue to find depth where we can find Ultimately, it is going to be somewhat market-dependent. If there’s none of one of those things available, you have to zag a little bit, and you have to be prepared to do that. And that could be the nature of this market.”
19.2 IP 1.83 ERA 2.66 FIP 9 H 7 BB 21 K
His fastball was sitting 100.0 mph in his scoreless frame tonight.
A sellers market
Hoyer seemingly confirms a few things that we knew to be true here. First, we knew the Cubs have done their due diligence on adding a member of the rotation as well as adding a high-octane bullpen arm. The next thing he seemingly confirmed is that this year is a seller’s market at the deadline. The ratio of quality arms to needy contending teams is highly in favor of the bottom dwellers this year. With that said, that is often the case anyway. That shouldnt necessarily change the strategy for a team with such a talented farm system like the Cubs.
Necessary reinforcments
The Cubs have survived and thrived this year with a diverse group of pitchers, both in the rotation and in the bullpen. With major injuries to their two frontline starters, the Cubs have leaned heavily on Matthew Boyd, Colin Rea, Jameson Taillon, and Ben Brown to eat innings. Additionally, they were essentially forced to promote Cade Horton earlier than they may have been comfortable with.
Despite all that adversity, the rotation has been good enough not to hamper their offense in pursuit of their early success. But a 19th-ranked rotation ERA is a problem that the offense may not be able to overcompensate for forever. Especially not against the contenders in the National League come playoff time.
The Chicago Cubs will be buyers this season, with their main targets being talented arms. Chicago has a highly rated farm system at their disposal to push their chips to the table for this season and compete for a Championship.
Cubs President Jed Hoyer Sends Clear Message on Trade Market