Breaking Down the Chicago Cubs' 2024 Starting Rotation Ahead of Opening Day

Japanese left-hander Shota Imanaga was the lone addition to the Chicago Cubs' starting rotation this offseason, leaving Justin Steele to once again serve as their ace.

The 2024 MLB regular season is about to begin, and that means it's time for every club to lock down its top five starting pitchers.

For the first few months of the offseason, the biggest move the Chicago Cubs pulled off was luring manager Craig Counsell away from the Milwaukee Brewers. Eventually, they went all-in on Japanese free agent Shota Imanaga to round out a rotation that lost Marcus Stroman to the New York Yankees.

Here is a quick preview of how Chicago's starting pitching will look in 2024:

1. Justin Steele, LHP
2023 Stats: 16-5, 3.06 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 9.1 K/9, 4.9 WAR
2024 Projections: 12-10, 3.71 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 8.6 K/9, 3.3 WAR

Fresh off making his first All-Star Game and placing fifth in NL Cy Young voting, Steele has a chance to cement himself as a true ace in 2023. The 28-year-old southpaw has improved each year he's been in the big leagues, so another jump isn't out of the question.

2. Kyle Hendricks, RHP
2023 Stats: 6-8, 3.74 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 6.1 K/9, 2.8 WAR
2024 Projections: 8-11, 4.78 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 6.3 K/9, 1.4 WAR

Hendricks is entering his 11th season with the Cubs, and the majority of the previous 10 have been pretty successful. Even though he's been limited to 221.1 innings over the past two years, having Hendricks' World Series pedigree on the roster is something most teams would pay a steep price for.

3. Jordan Wicks, LHP
2023 Stats: 4-1, 4.41 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 6.2 K/9, 0.3 WAR
2024 Projections: 8-9, 4.36 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 7.6 K/9, 1.2 WAR

As a borderline top 100 prospect, Wicks doesn't have the hype surrounding him that many other elite young pitchers do. Still, he did decently well in seven MLB starts down the stretch in 2023, leading Chicago to six wins in that limited time.

4. Shota Imanaga, LHP
2023 Stats: 7-5, 2.66 ERA, 1.019 WHIP, 10.6 K/9 (Japan)
2024 Projections: 11-10, 3.84 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 9.1 K/9, 3.2 WAR

Imanaga was one of the biggest fish on the free agent market this winter as a two-time Nippon Professional Baseball All-Star and World Baseball Classic champion. If all goes according to plan, Imanaga could be going head-to-head with new Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto for NL Rookie of the Year.

5. Javier Assad, RHP
2023 Stats: 5-3, 3.05 ERA, WHIP, 7.7 K/9, 0.9 WAR
2024 Projections: 5-6, 4.52 ERA, WHIP, 7.5 K/9, 0.6 WAR

Assad has been a part-time starter for a few years now, and he'll hold down that role again to open 2024. He would be the first man to go if someone were to return from injury, or if Chicago's front office were to make a mid-season addition, but he proved himself capable of holding down the fort by tossing 109.1 innings in 2023.

Although he didn't have a great first season with the Cubs, 32-year-old righty Jameson Taillon will surely re-enter the rotation when he comes off the injured list in mid-April. He is projected to go 8-9 with a 4.62 ERA, a 1.31 WHIP, a 7.7 strikeouts per nine innings and a 1.5 WAR.

26-year-old Caleb Kilian, on the other hand, is out until at least the All-Star break and would have to fight for a starting job once he's healthy.

Veteran Drew Smyly, who got moved to the bullpen last season, could wind up starting if needed. Top prospect Cade Horton is a name to keep an eye on as well.

All 2024 projections are compiled using FanGraphs' Steamer model.

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