When a team loses a starting pitcher for the season, it’s never easy to fill that gap, especially when that player is a mainstay in the rotation. The Chicago Cubs are dealing with that headache as they figure out how to move forward without left-hander Justin Steele, who will miss the remainder of the 2025 season to undergo reconstructive elbow surgery.
Steele was one of the team’s frontline starters and has been one of the most consistent starters in baseball over the past several seasons. Since becoming a full-time starter in 2022, Steele has a 3.10 ERA, ranking ninth in MLB in that span.
How do you replace an All-Star this early in the season?
Most would say you look to the trade market, but making a move for starting pitching is easier said than done.
Justin Steele started four games for the Cubs before an elbow injury sidelined him for the season. (Photo by Matt Dirksen/Chicago Cubs/Getty Images)
(Matt Dirksen via Getty Images)
The biggest target for any team this season would be former NL Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara, who is likely to be moved by this year’s trade deadline. But don’t expect the Miami Marlins to have a quick trigger finger this year like they had last season when they dealt Luis Arraez in May. Not only is Alcántara much more valuable that Arraez, but with the demand among teams looking to compete for the postseason like the Cubs, New York Mets and Baltimore Orioles, there’s no reason for Miami to rush.
In the meantime, the Cubs’ rotation options will have to be internal, at least until the trade market starts to take shape. So what options does Chicago have?
The team’s healthy starters currently include ace Shota Imanaga, veteran right-handers Jameson Taillon and Matthew Boyd, and second-year right-hander Ben Brown. As a team, the Cubs could be in a much worse position than they currently are. They still have one of the best arms in baseball in Imanaga, and Taillon and Boyd are viable options in the middle of the rotation.
But for a team that has postseason aspirations, is that enough? Probably not.
Right-hander Javier Assad was a revelation in the Cubs, going 7-6 with a respectable 3.73 ERA in 29 starts last season. Assad, who started the season on the IL and hasn’t pitched since spring training with a moderate oblique strain, will be starting a rehab assignment this week. If things go well, he would be the obvious choice to slide back into the team’s rotation, filling the void for the time being.
Left-hander Jordan Wicks will likely also get another shot for the Cubs this season. Wicks, the Cubs’ 2021 first-round draft pick, hasn’t been able to grab a foothold in Chicago’s rotation despite having a few opportunities, mostly due to injuries. But as one of the arms that has big-league experience, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him at Wrigley Field in the foreseeable future.
The dark horse option to find time in Chicago’s rotation this summer would be 2023 first-round pick Cade Horton. He is currently pitching at Triple-A Iowa with a 1.23 ERA and electric stuff. If the Cubs have another need outside of Steele’s void, he could be a viable option down the road, even if Assad returns to the rotation or the Cubs make another move via trade.
For a team that has its sights set on the postseason, having as many dynamic arms as possible is important. It could be a similar plan to what the Detroit Tigers did last season with their top pitching prospect Jackson Jobe en route to the playoffs.
Offensively, the Cubs are one of the best lineups in baseball and are giving their pitching plenty of run support. But the difference between getting to the postseason and being on the outside looking in will be making sure they can plug the leak following Steele’s injury. The benefit they have is that it’s early and there is time to evaluate all of their options both internally and on the trade market.
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