The Chicago Cubs put together a solid all-around regular season in 2026, but fell apart in their Wild Card series against the San Diego Padres. Craig Counsell and his team were only able to muster up one run in a two-game sweep against the Padres.
Needless to say, that wasn’t the showing the Cubs wanted to have. Now, they head into the MLB offseason with questions that need to be answered.
One of those questions comes in the pitching department.
Chicago has quite a few starting pitchers set to become free agents. Among those pitchers are Shota Imanaga, Kevin Gausman, Clay Holmes, Matthew Boyd, and David Peterson.
Jed Hoyer has made it clear that one of his top priorities this offseason will be pitching. An MLB insider has urged the team to target a sleeper 31-year-old starter when free agency opens.
Chicago Cubs Urged to Target 31-Year-Old Starting Pitcher
FanSided’s Robert Murray believes that the Cubs should focus on re-signing David Peterson in free agency this offseason.
“Peterson, a ground-ball pitcher, was impacted by the Mets’ poor infield defense. He was much better behind the Cubs’ elite infield defense, posting a 2.73 ERA in the second half of the regular season,” Murray wrote.
“The Cubs should strongly consider bringing him back, and there are folks across the league who believe that Peterson’s best days are still ahead of him.
Peterson was a solid addition for Chicago. He may not be a star-caliber name, but the Cubs will need to bring in or back multiple starting pitchers. Re-signing Peterson would make a lot of sense.
Why the Cubs Should Re-Sign David Peterson
As noted by Murray, Peterson was much better with Chicago than he was before the trade with the New York Mets.
Peterson made 15 starts and appeared in 16 games with the Cubs this season. He compiled a 6-2 record to go along with a 3.70 ERA, a 1.37 WHIP, a 2.1 K/BB ratio, and 148.1 innings pitched.
Hoyer would not be re-signing Peterson to be an ace. He would be re-signing the veteran left-hander to be a No. 4 or No. 5 piece in the rotation.
Chicago is not far away from being a World Series contender. In order to take the next step, the pitching rotation must be improved. That was made clear this season.
Whether or not Peterson will be a top target for the Cubs or not remains a mystery. But, Murray believes that he should be a priority in Chicago this offseason.
MLB Insider Urges Cubs to Target Sleeper Free Agent Pitcher