The Cubs have some important decisions to make in the next few weeks. They have to decide if they want to pick up Shota Imanaga’s three-year, $57 million option and decide whether Andrew Kittredge is worth his one-year, $9 million club option. 

Another decision Chicago will have to make shortly after the World Series is regarding Colin Rea. The Cubs signed Rea to a one-year, $5 million deal last offseason, with a club option for the 2026 season. 

That club option is what the Cubs have to decide on in the coming weeks. If they pick it up, they would have to pay Rea $6 million for the 2026 season. If the team declines that option, the right-hander gets a $750,000 buyout. 

So, should the Cubs pick up that club option for the 2026 season?

For only $6 million, Rea feels like the one option that the Cubs will almost certainly pick up for the 2026 season. Teams can never have enough pitching on their roster, and the 35-year-old showed enough good things last year to bring him back. 

Rea had two different great stretches with the Cubs in 2025. He had a 1.46 ERA in his first seven games, which included four starts and three relief appearances out of the bullpen. Then, he ended the year on a high note by having a 2.63 ERA and 32 strikeouts across five September starts. 

Even though Rea wasn’t a consistent option on the mound in the summer months with a 4.41 ERA from June to August, his flexibility as both a starter and reliever is vital. That’s a big reason why Chicago could choose to pick up his club option for the 2026 season. 

Additionally, Rea did finish with solid overall numbers this past year. He had a 3.95 ERA, 127 strikeouts, and 11 wins across 32 appearances (27 starts) for the Cubs. For a No. 5 starter in Chicago's rotation, those were solid numbers.

Now, we don’t exactly know how the Cubs plan to go about their rotation next year. Justin Steele will eventually be back, and the team could look to add a big-time starter like Dylan Cease in free agency. That could leave Rea on the outs. 

However, you can never have enough pitching on your roster. Rea has been an innings eater over the past two seasons, throwing 167 ⅔ innings in 2024 and 159 ⅓ innings in 2025. Those types of pitchers are always valuable over the course of a season. 

That’s why the Cubs should pick up Rea’s $6 million club option for the 2026 season.