The Chicago Cubs are four games over .500 near the season’s halfway mark. Barring a collapse, they’ll be buyers at the trade deadline. The biggest area to address is the starting rotation, which has completely disintegrated due to injuries.
“Pitching-wise, this season has been a grind,” said Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer on the Mully & Haugh Show on 104.3 The Score. “No question we had some key injuries. Those are things you can never talk about as an excuse, but it’s forced guys into different roles than we thought.”
The Cubs’ rotation has been a focal point of the season. Just about every spot has dealt with injuries and performance concerns. It’s played a role in why Chicago is looking at Wild Card contention instead of the National League Central division.
Cubs PBO Jed Hoyer Addresses Rotation Need
The Cubs continue to struggle with injuries to the rotation. Edward Cabrera became the latest pitcher to go down, suffering a hamstring strain in Chicago’s 9-6 win over the New York Mets.
They’ve also been without left-hander Justin Steele. Steele hasn’t pitched for the Cubs since April 2025. He underwent flexor tendon surgery, but experienced a setback in his rehab.
Hoyer isn’t sure when Steele will be able to contribute again, but he ruled out a return as a starter.
“It’s unrealistic to believe he’s going to be fully stretched out at any point,” said Hoyer. “If he does help us, it’s going to be shorter bursts.”
Hoyer is more concerned about Steele’s ability to finish his rehab and be healthy going into the offseason. He has one more season of control left before hitting free agency.
With the Steele news, the Cubs certainly have to pursue starting pitching at the deadline. However, the type of arm they’re looking for probably won’t be available for the next four weeks.
“The major moves and significant transactions that people would talk about are much more likely to happen post All-Star Break or even closer to the deadline.”
The Cubs will have to weather the storm with their rotation over the next five weeks and hope they’re in position to add. Given their recent play, that possibility seems more likely now than three weeks ago.
Cubs Rotation Situation Entering the Trade Deadline
GettyEdward Cabrera is the latest Cubs starter to suffer a tough injury, in a year where Chicago has struggled to field five healthy starting pitchers.
The latest news on Edward Cabrera puts the Cubs in a bind. Four of their five starters from their Opening Day rotation are on the injured list. Of those five, only Matthew Boyd will be back before the All-Star break.
Cade Horton is done for the year, undergoing Tommy John surgery for the second time in five seasons. Cabrera and Jameson Taillon will be out past the All-Star break with hamstring injuries.
Only Shota Imanaga remains, but he’s got a 4.26 ERA thanks to surrendering 1.8 home runs per nine innings.
Ben Brown had been a bright spot in the rotation. Since returning to a starter capacity, he’s pitched to a 1.70 ERA and 2.40 FIP. However, he just recently joined a growing list of injured Cubs pitchers.
In the wake of the Cabrera and Brown injuries, Chicago added Vince Velasquez to their roster. He’s pitched as a swingman with Triple-A Iowa, but will probably pitch in relief. Instead, the rotation spot will likely go to Boyd on June 28.
There’s no certainty as to when Cabrera will return, as he’s undergoing imaging on his injured hamstring. The news likely doesn’t impact the club’s urgency to add starting pitching, as it already was their primary need.
Some of the starting pitchers the Cubs have been linked to include Tarik Skubal, Joe Ryan, and Logan Webb. As Chicago enters a key stretch of the season, they need to improve the top half of their rotation.
Cubs’ PBO Jed Hoyer Discusses Team’s Biggest Trade Deadline Need