With every week, the Chicago Cubs look more and more like a legitimate contender in the National League. The core of this roster is squarely in its prime and is now 34-21, which is at least three games up on every team in the National League Central.
The Cubs' main strength has been in the batter’s box, where they lead the league in runs per contest at 5.96. One area that could use an upgrade has been the starting pitching, which has been the primary contributor to the Cubs' ranking 16th in runs given up per game.
Unfortunately, this franchise had an answer to that weakness going into the 2023 All-Star Justin Steele season. The 29-year-old has been a stabilizing force in this rotation, but is out for the season, undergoing UCL revision repair in mid-April.
The lefty is not expected to return until sometime in 2026, leaving the Cubs with a huge weakness that must be addressed before the trade deadline. Steele, who has undergone Tommy John surgery already, got honest on this new setback in an interview with Patrick Mooney, senior writer for The Athletic covering the Cubs.
“Any time you get an MRI, you’re crossing your fingers, just hoping it comes back clean,” Steele said. “They saw some stuff getting a little bit worse from the last few times I’ve gotten an image of it, so it made sense to go in there and figure out what it was.
Obviously, it sucks. But as soon as you find out the news, you start processing it, trying to figure out what the next steps are, what’s the best plan of action for me and my family and the team. There’s a different mentality once you’ve been through it.”
Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp
Overall, the Cubs will have to make a gamble this season to shore up their rotation. Having won eight out of their past ten games, this group is comfortable enough right now that a move like this doesn’t have to be rushed. Still, elite starting pitching is critical for teams planning on making a run in the postseason. But should the Cubs make the playoffs and break a four-year drought, that would already be a successful season for the franchise.
More MLB: Cubs-Pirates blockbuster trade pitch sends Paul Skenes to Chicago in 5-player swap