The Chicago Cubs’ front office has made it clear that they intend to spend on a frontline starting pitcher this offseason, and they have the budget to do so.
There were reports that the Cubs were among the finalists to sign right-handed hurler Dylan Cease before he agreed to a seven-year, $210 million deal. Chicago reportedly bowed out of negotiations after Cease’s price reached the $200 million range, presumably because there are several other quality starters whom they could acquire for a fraction of that price.
Now that Cease is off the market, most agree that the top five free agent starting pitchers who are still available are former Phillies southpaw Ranger Suarez, right-handed hurler Tatsuya Imai (who is being posted from Japan’s Nippon Professional (NPB) league, Astros lefty Framber Valdez, Michael King (who was Cease’s teammate on the San Diego Padres), and Zac Gallen, who is coming off a disappointing 2025 season with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
While all of these arms are likely to sign somewhere around the $20-$30 million per year range, they’re likely to get shorter-term deals compared to Cease, which will presumably make them more appealing to a Cubs team that has been notoriously reluctant to hand out big contracts in the past.