It’s no secret that heading into the playoffs, starting pitching was the Chicago Cubs’ biggest area of concern. Initial indications from the local writers are that impact pitching will be the biggest focus this offseason, with Dylan Cease the first specific name to hit the rumor mill via Bruce Levine.
Cease is generally considered to be one of the “Big 3” free agent starters this winter, along with Framber Valdez and Ranger Suarez. Cease’s career has been marred by a good deal of inconsistency, but he’s been a model of health (leads MLB in games started the past 5 years) and is one of the hardest-throwing pitchers in the league (one of only 10 pitchers in 2025 to throw 100 IP and average more than 97 MPH on his fastball). Most days, he looks the part of a prototypical ace.
While a starting pitcher set to get north of $150M is not usually what we think of for a Jed Hoyer target, the team enters 2026 with relatively few roster holes. The Cubs also have an extensive history with Cease. They initially drafted Dylan in 2014 (along with Kyle Schwarber and Justin Steele), and based on reporting from NorthsideBaseball’s own Matt Trueblood the team had extensive conversations with the Padres around reacquiring Cease last spring.
Expect the Cubs to be tied to a wide variety of arms this winter. But given the team’s roster heading into the winter and their history with Dylan Cease, it is notable that this is the first rumor out of the chute this offseason.