The Chicago Cubs made their first significant move of the offseason this week. Still, it left their fanbase wondering what the front office is thinking.
They signed Phil Maton, who is a durable, high-leverage reliever who should immediately steady the back end of their bullpen. But even as the deal improves one part of their pitching staff, it does not address the real problem.
The Cubs' rotation still isn’t good enough to win in October.
Maton is coming off a strong season in which he posted a 2.79 ERA across 63 games and 61.1 innings, striking out 81 batters with only 20 walks and holding opponents to a.205 average. Baseball-Reference credits him with a 1.06 WHIP and a 154 ERA+ in 2025, continuing a multi-year stretch in which he has quietly remained one of the more consistent relievers in the league. His underlying numbers support it. Baseball Savant graded his sweeper and cutter among the higher-spin offerings in MLB last season, with his sweeper averaging more than 2,670 rpm and generating weak contact, especially against right-handed hitters. FanGraphs had him at 1.4 WAR in 2025, a strong number for a non-closer, and his overall career strikeout rate remains near 30 percent — elite territory for a multi-inning reliever.
None of that changes what happened to the Cubs last October.
Shota Imanaga carried most of the load, Javier Assad battled through fatigue, Justin Steele couldn’t stay fully healthy, and the depth behind them never stabilized. Jordan Wicks flashed promise, but the Cubs still needed more innings and more reliability. Even with Maton added to the bullpen mix, the team enters the winter knowing it must find at least one starter capable of taking the ball in a Game 2 or Game 3 of a postseason series.
The Cubs have been connected early to several frontline and mid-tier options on both the trade and free-agent markets. Dylan Cease and Framber Valdez remain two of the most talked-about possibilities if the Cubs choose the trade route. Tatsuya Imai, one of the more intriguing international arms available this winter, offers upside without draft-pick compensation attached. There are also veteran innings-eaters on the market who could give Chicago stability, though none of those options would change the rotation’s ceiling.
The Cubs are operating in a competitive window, and the Maton signing reflects that urgency. It’s the right kind of move for a team trying to deepen the roster, but it only matters if it’s followed by a bigger one. Chicago has enough pieces to be a playoff team. What it doesn’t have yet is enough starting pitching to be a serious threat once it gets there. Maton helps shorten games. He doesn’t shorten the gap between the Cubs and the National League’s contenders.
If this deal is a precursor to adding a real rotation arm, it fits perfectly. If it’s the headliner, fans won’t buy it. The Cubs still have more work to do.
