Cubs Rotation is Already a Disaster; One Free Agent Could Save Them

April 10, 2026
Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Matthew Boyd reacts during 2026 game.

The Chicago Cubs entered 2026 with postseason ambitions. 

Eleven games in, three of their top five starters are on the injured list and they're sitting 6-6 at the bottom of the NL Central. 

Cade Horton, last year's NL Rookie of the Year runner-up, is done for the season after being pulled from his start against Cleveland on April 3rd. 

His velocity had dropped mid-inning, and he was caught in tears walking off the mound, and GM Carter Hawkins confirmed Tuesday that he'll need elbow surgery. 

"It'll be on his elbow, it'll be around his UCL," Hawkins told reporters. "Whether it's revision, reconstruction, internal brace — once you get into the surgery, that's when those decisions are made." 

Two days before that news dropped, Opening Day starter Matthew Boyd was placed on the 15-day IL with a left biceps strain, and Justin Steele remains months away as he works back from last April's UCL surgery. 

Three starters. Gone. Before May.

Who's Actually Pitching?

Chicago's current rotation runs Edward Cabrera, Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon, Colin Rea and Javier Assad. 

Cabrera, acquired from Miami over the winter at the cost of top prospect Owen Caissie, has been the one bright spot, allowing just two hits over 11.2 scoreless innings in his first two starts. Imanaga is the other name to watch, and his velocity is ticking back up after a down 2025 season, which is a good sign. 

Rea and Assad are capable depth arms, but neither is going to replicate what Horton was supposed to be, and the Cubs know it. 

Boyd is expected back later in April, and Steele could be back sometime in the first half, but right now, Chicago is running out a rotation that doesn't match what they drew up in March.

The Trade Deadline Is Coming Into View

The Cubs ran out of starting pitching last October, and the answer that summer was Michael Soroka. 

That can't happen again. MLB.com raised Lucas Giolito as the most realistic near-term option, as he spent seven seasons with the White Sox, posted a 3.41 ERA over 26 starts for Boston in 2025, and remains unsigned. 

His advanced metrics weren't pretty and a right elbow issue cost him the playoffs, but if Steele isn't back and healthy by early June, Hoyer is going to have to make a move. 

The NL Central is wide open and the Cubs still have the lineup and bullpen to stay in the race, but this rotation situation isn't going away on its own.

Photo Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images

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