Injuries forced Colin Rea into the rotation in 2025. Now, with a full staff, he could find himself in a new role in 2026.
The Chicago Cubs needed to rely on right-hander Colin Rea to log big innings in 2025.
Justin Steele went down with a season-ending injury in early April, Jameson Taillon and Shota Imanaga both had extended trips on the 15-day injured list, and Javier Assad didn’t make his season debut until August.
That resulted in Rea being a part of the Cubs’ rotation for most of the year. Although he started the season in the bullpen, he quickly entered the rotation once Steele went down with an elbow injury.
And Rea really did a good job in that role throughout the season.
He finished with a career-best 3.95 ERA and 127 strikeouts across 159 ⅓ innings pitched. His 159 ⅓ innings and 127 strikeouts were the second-most on the team, only behind Matthew Boyd’s 179 ⅓ innings pitched and 154 strikeouts.
Rea was a solid No. 5 starter for the Cubs in 2025. He was consistent, was able to eat a ton of innings, and was even better in the second half of the season. The right-hander had a 3.56 ERA and four quality starts over his final 15 appearances.
But what will Rea’s role be with the Cubs this upcoming season?
The answer is simple: he’ll be a multi-inning arm out of Chicago’s bullpen.
The Cubs will enter the season with a complete starting rotation. Newly acquired Edward Cabrera will join Matthew Boyd, Jameson Taillon, Cade Horton, and Shota Imanaga in the rotation to start the year. Then, Justin Steele will eventually be added to this group once he is fully healthy.
That leaves Rea on the outskirts. The Cubs simply don’t need the veteran to make as many starts as he did a season ago.
However, the 35-year-old will still remain a key part of this Cubs team this year. He will be a valuable piece of the bullpen and has the potential to give the North Siders multiple innings in relief.
Rea also has some experience in this role over his career. He made four relief appearances in 2023, five relief appearances in 2024, and another five relief appearances in 2025. In those five appearances last year, he allowed just one run across 16 innings pitched (0.56 ERA).
While most of those relief appearances came with the Cubs using an opener, Rea showed in the postseason that he can thrive as a traditional reliever as well. He had a 1.17 ERA and three strikeouts across 7 ⅔ innings pitched in the postseason.
That multi-inning reliever role is shaping up to be where Rea fits in ahead of the 2026 season. The Cubs already have five starting pitchers lined up, and a sixth starting pitcher will eventually be added to the mix whenever Steele is ready.
Even though Rea likely won’t make many starts, he does give the Cubs much-needed starting pitcher depth. He was a consistent starting pitcher for the team last year and could easily rejoin the rotation if injuries arise.
Rea’s role might be a bit different this season, but he’ll still be a key part of the pitching group.