The Chicago Cubs had been eyeing hard-throwing right-hander Edward Cabrera for quite awhile, with buzz linking them to the Miami Marlins pitcher dating back to early last season. This offseason, they pulled the trigger on the trade to bring him aboard.
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The 27-year-old Cabrera will join a Cubs starting rotation that includes Matthew Boyd, Cade Horton, Jameson Taillon, Shota Imanaga, and returning ace Justin Steele, who may be back from elbow surgery sometime around the All-Star break.
If/when everyone stays healthy and Steele stays on schedule, this will give Chicago six viable starters, plus two capable swing men in Colin Rea and Javier Assad along with long shots Ben Brown, Jordan Wicks, and top pitching prospect Jaxon Wiggins waiting in the wings.
Uncertainty in Cubs’ pitching depth
MLB: Chicago Cubs at Toronto Blue Jays Aug 13, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Cade Horton (22) delivers a pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays in the first inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
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On paper, this seems to be an embarrassment of riches. In reality, though, there’s a lot of uncertainty up and down the rotation, especially when it comes to durability. Boyd, Horton, and Cabrera all have significant history of injury. Steele is coming off major elbow surgery. Meanwhile, Taillon and Imanaga both spent significant time on the IL last season.
So, what can the Cubs do to preserve their arms and ensure that their best starters make it to the postseason?
Some have suggested a move to a 6-man rotation, which would give each pitcher an additional day of rest between starts.
It’s more likely, though, that manager Craig Counsell and company may look to an NL powerhouse, the World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers, for the answer.
Adopting the Dodgers model
Nov 1, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (7) walks back to the dugout after th eighth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays during game seven of the 2025 MLB World Series at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
The Dodgers’ rotation was strained throughout the majority of the regular season due to injury, with only Yoshinobu Yamamoto delivering more than 112.2 innings as a starter.
But Los Angeles was judicious with the return of injured/recovering starters Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell, and even Shohei Ohtani. Careful and conservative with their respective comebacks, they were able to reintroduce all three to the rotation just in time for the pennant push and, more importantly, the postseason.
The strategy paid off as Yamamoto and the reasonably fresh threesome of Glasnow, Blake, and Ohtani accounted for more than 68% of the innings pitched in the postseason in another winning World Series run for the Dodgers.
Justin Steele
Mar 27, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Justin Steele (35) pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images
It’s not hard to imagine the Cubs following that blueprint with their own rotation, especially with Steele, who could be key to the team’s postseason success. Over the last four years, Steele has been Chicago’s most reliable and effective starter, posting a 3.18 ERA over 82 starts in that period of time.
“It’s just one of those math equations you’re going to have to do,” Steele said of the timeline for his 2026 return, “because Dr. Meister [Steele’s surgeon and supervising physician] is going to probably have some innings limit [in mind].”
“That definitely eases your mind,” Steele added, referring to the Cubs’ rotation depth and the lack of rush to get him back in the mix, “knowing that it’s not a race to get back for Opening Day or something…So there’s definitely some comfortability knowing that I don’t have to rush.”
Given the Cubs’ starting pitching depth, it’s quite possible that the team could have multiple starters on an informal innings limit over the course of the season, maybe capped at four innings or so, with Rea, Assad, Brown, or Wicks serving as second-half-of-game starters to finish things off.
With this plan in place, the Cubs could walk into the playoffs with a solid core of fresh and effective starting pitchers and, subsequently, a fresh, rested bullpen as well. Last postseason, Chicago wilted in the NLDS, dragging along a taxed rotation that had been whittled down to two viable pitchers.
While the Cubs don’t have the mega-bank studs that LA has, this conserve and preserve strategy definitely would give them stronger footing if/when they make their 2026 postseason run.
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