The Cubs' starting rotation faces a massive gap between its ceiling and floor

For the first time since the 2020 season, the Chicago Cubs found themselves in the postseason last year. They would go on to defeat the San Diego Padres in the Wild Card, but would fall short to the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLDS. 

With a sour taste in the front office's mouth, they got to work in the offseason. They made a few big splashes by signing Alex Bregman to a five-year deal and trading with the Miami Marlins to acquire Edward Cabrera. 

They were also able to re-sign Shota Imanaga, while coming to terms with a few bullpen arms in Hunter Harvey, Phil Maton, Caleb Thielbar, Shelby Miller, Hoby Milner, and Jacob Webb. 

MORE: Cubs choose ex-Orioles switch-hitter over No. 4 prospect for Opening Day roster

The Cubs' starting rotation faces a massive gap between its ceiling and floor

This team has a lot of exciting pieces that could propel them to victory. The addition of Bregman should be nice, even if they did lose Kyle Tucker.

However, despite having a great rotation on paper, Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly questions just how well this group of arms will do this season. 

"There also seem to be a wide variance of possible outcomes for the starting rotation. Will Shota Imanaga pitch more like he did in 2024 than 2025? Can Matthew Boyd replicate the career-year he had at 34 years old? Will Cabrera stay healthy? A rotation that also will include Cade Horton and Jameson Taillon has a high ceiling, but it's not difficult to imagine things going south, either."

Imanaga was not at his best last season, and there are always injury concerns with Cabrera. On top of that, can Boyd, Horton, and Taillon continue to dominate? 

If Imanaga can return to how he looked in 2025, Cabrera stays healthy, and the rest pitch as expected, this will be a tough team to beat. However, if they do have rotation problems, it could be a long season for the fanbase.

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