In 2025, Craig Counsell had one of the better starting rotations in the big leagues, based on results. Several of the successes won by the 2025 version of this club emanated from the bump. Yet, the team ran out of starter steam in the postseason, so they made a significant addition to their mix this week. Let’s review where the rotation stands, as the beginning of spring training comes into view on the horizon.

Cade Horton
Featuring an outstanding array of pitches and command that earned him second place in last season’s NL Rookie of the Year voting, Horton is the ace of this staff. Entering last season, we knew his fastball, slider and curveball had a chance to be special. However, what he did with his changeup, a pitch that yielded just a .115 average from opposing batters last season, took him to a new level. Only his durability is in question. He missed the team’s crucial final stretch heading into the postseason with a rib injury, and was denied his playoff debut after the Cubs were ousted from the tournament before he could recover. 

Matthew Boyd
The 34-year-old veteran returns to the rotation after enjoying perhaps his best season in the big leagues. In his All-Star campaign, Boyd showed both command and composure. With an excellent walk rate and feel for several pitches, he gutted his way through a season in which his workload far exceeded what the team expected to need from him when they signed him to a two-year deal last winter. Depending on how quickly newcomer Edward Cabrera ascends through the rotation, Boyd’s spot could slide, though he still stands as one of the vital pieces of this staff. 

Edward Cabrera
The shiniest new toy at 1060 W. Addison (at least on the pitching side), Cabrera, 27, is a near-bottomless well of talent and upside. While he has certainly struggled with injuries, the strikeout-heavy righty features a dominant curveball with which he punched out 54 batters last season. His changeup borders on being a splinker, with the ability to push it past 95 MPH. Cabrera will also enjoy better offense and defense in support of his outings than he received in Miami. If he stays healthy, he’ll be the bat-misser the rotation lacked in 2025.

Jameson Taillon
Pitching just shy of 130 innings last season, Taillon had a 1.06 WHIP in 2025. He, too, excelled at limiting walks, and kept the team in the game nearly every time he took the mound. In only five of his 23 starts did he hurt the team’s win probability by more than 2.7%. Entering his 10th major-league season, Taillon is a steady presence in the clubhouse. You know what to expect from him every five days on the mound, and every day off of it. For a team with a stable of young starters, his veteran presence will augment the youth movement. 

Shota Imanaga
In a 2024 season that ultimately ended in oppressive disappointment for the Cubs, no one endeared himself more to fans of North Side baseball in Chicago than Imanaga. He was cruising, legitimately flirting with a 20-win season, and warranted Cy Young talk until sputtering in the second half of the campaign. Sadly, in 2025, the charismatic starting pitcher more closely resembled what he was in the second half of his rookie season. A hamstring injury kept him out longer than anyone had hoped, and throughout the second half, he was plagued by home runs that often put the Cubs in an early hole. In what will likely be his final year in a Cubs uniform, Imanaga looks to bounce back with a return to his 2024 form. That will depend on whether or not he can execute his splitter better, especially throwing it below the zone for chases. Should he reclaim that command, the fan favorite could be a sneaky weapon—albeit an expensive one.

Justin Steele
An elbow injury early in 2025 wiped out nearly all of the southpaw’s season. The setback led to Steele’s second career Tommy John surgery. His injuries, in fact, created the impetus for the Cubs to seek and develop other viable starting pitchers, which led to the rotation’s current composition. Not since his impressive 2023 16-5 season have we seen what Steele can really do. His cut-ride heater and slider form a solid combination. An intentional and gradual ramp-up will be the key to Steele’s success in 2026. Luckily, the squad has some depth, with Colin Rea and Javier Assad. All told, his return will be a welcome one, but it needn’t be hurried. 

The five probable starters in this forecasted rotation each bring something unique to the table. They’re not a dominant group, but they’ve moved from perhaps average to a tier higher. Their depth should ensure that they stay in contention throughout 2026, and if they reach October, they’ll be better-equipped to advance this time.