With pitching depth suddenly a strength, Chicago may prioritize health and October readiness by opening the year with a six-man rotation.
The Alex Bregman signing was the headline move of the Chicago Cubs’ offseason, but it was far from the focal point of Jed Hoyer’s winter.
From the start, Hoyer made it clear that pitching would be the organization’s top priority heading into 2026—and he backed that up with action.
Between Shota Imanaga accepting the qualifying offer, a trade for Edward Cabrera, and a flurry of big-league deals aimed at strengthening the bullpen, the Cubs made an all-out effort to overhaul a pitching staff that ultimately let them down in the postseason. Chicago was determined not to let that issue resurface.
It's becoming more and more prevalent for contending teams to add starting pitching beyond just the traditional five. "You can never have enough pitching" is a cliché that the Cubs appear to be living by.
And now, the Cubs may be taking that commitment a step further.
According to MLB insider Bruce Levine, Chicago is considering opening the season with an unconventional approach: deploying a six-man rotation out of the gate.
While that strategy is atypical by MLB standards, the Cubs have the personnel to support it.
Justin Steele is expected to begin the season on the injured list and likely won’t be ready for Opening Day. Even so, Chicago can draw from Cade Horton, Shota Imanaga, Edward Cabrera, Jameson Taillon, Matthew Boyd, Javier Assad, and Colin Rea—seven legitimate starting options before Steele even returns.
Eventually, Assad and Rea are likely to shift into long-relief roles, but the depth remains notable. And once Steele is back, a six-man rotation may still make sense.
Steele shouldn’t be overworked as he returns from surgery. Horton is still developing, coming off a career-high 147 innings pitched between Triple-A and the majors last season. And Imanaga showed clear signs of fatigue down the stretch in 2025 as his workload continued to climb.
Levine noted previous injuries to Boyd and Taillon also being a factor.
Every contender wants its best arms healthy and effective when October arrives—and the Cubs fully expect to be playing then.
Opening the season with a six-man rotation may be unconventional, but it could be a smart way to ensure their pitchers are protected from themselves—and at their best when it matters most. Have each "at risk" arm make six less starts by the end of the season by extending the rotation and save your best stuff for the games that matter most