Cubs October Blueprint: Bonafide Starters, Mid-Tier Options, Top Bullpen Arms

The Chicago Cubs' Craig Counsell has navigated a season filled with injuries with the kind of poise one would expect from the second-highest-paid manager in baseball. It may come with the territory for Counsell, but the Cubs have lost their entire starting rotation for extended periods of time this season.

Players like Edward Cabrera or Ben Brown flashed in moments but struggled to stay on the field, while guys like Colin Rea and Javier Assad continued to post middling numbers. Justin Steele's return date kept getting pushed back to the point where it became unrealistic to expect the left-hander to contribute as a starter.

The Cubs fought through their pitching shortcomings and found themselves 64-49 after the trade deadline, adding two clear-cut starters in Kevin Gausman and Clay Holmes. The arrival of the veterans gave the Cubs postseason pedigree, but also immediately improved their starting depth.

With parts of the Cubs' rotation and bullpen getting healthier, Counsell has options for the first time this season. This means he's actually going to have to make some tough roster decisions on how the team deploys all of its arms in October.

For what it's worth, Craig Counsell doesn't view his pitchers as starters, relievers, closers, etc. He instead calls them "out-getters." In Counsell's eyes, each one of his pitchers is set to attack certain pockets of a team's lineup, shifting the focus from eating innings to simply getting outs. His choice to avoid Counsell titles and roles for his players is a shift that many other teams have made in the playoffs over the years.

Anyhow, I've gone ahead and organized the Cubs' pitching options into three groups based on what role they could play on a playoff roster. Let's dive into it!

Bonafide Playoff Game Starters

Aug 19, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Clay Holmes (25) pitches against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Kevin Gausman
Clay Holmes
Matthew Boyd

These are the three arms I would feel comfortable allowing to start a playoff game. While none are clear "aces" in a typical sense, all three have been reliable arms in clutch moments. Both Gausman and Holmes have experience pitching in the World Series, while Matthew Boyd has pitched in the postseason for three different teams.

Teams typically shrink their rotation to three or four arms for the postseason, but if they did need a fourth starter, David Peterson would likely be Counsell's choice. Still, I think it's more likely the Cubs would lean into a bullpen game and use a combination of arms, which could include Peterson or Shota Imanaga.

But with the three starters of Gausman, Holmes, and Boyd, Counsell hopefully can get 4 to 5 innings of work and then turn things over to a bullpen capable of filling in the gaps.

Possible starters, multi-inning arms

Jun 19, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Ben Brown (32) pitches against the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

David Peterson
Shota Imanaga
Javier Assad
Colin Rea
Edward Cabrera
Ben Brown
Justin Steele

This combination of arms includes reliable guys like Colin Rea & Javier Assad, but also has some of the Cubs' best swing-and-miss guys in Ben Brown and Edward Cabrera. Alas, there's probably only room for a few of these arms come postseason time, so injured players like Cabrera, Brown, and Justin Steele will have to get healthy and produce before officially being put on a playoff roster.

Counsell ideally would get 4-plus innings of work from his starter before plugging in one of Assad, Rea, or Imanaga to eat innings as a bridge. With that said, if the Cubs had an arm like Brown or Cabrera back in this role and they are dealing, Counsell could try to leave them in to finish the game. This would allow the Cubs to be even more flexible because they wouldn't burn their lone long-reliever or could save their closer for later in the series.

In the playoffs last season, Brewers manager Pat Murphy didn't use Jacob Misiorowski as a starter in each of his three appearances, but he still threw 12 innings and struck out 16 batters. That kind of approach is what I expect Counsell to have with all of his arms. It's easy to see how someone like Ben Brown, in particular, could thrive in that role.

Circle of trust bullpen arms

Aug 11, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Jacob Webb (71) celebrates with Cubs catcher Carson Kelly (15) after their game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Jacob Webb
Ryan Rolison
Trent Thorton

These are the three arms Counsell has leaned on to close out games in the bullpen this year. While the group was assembled out of necessity, this trio of arms has helped the Cubs post a 2.96 bullpen ERA in the 2nd half. And despite a blown save in Seattle this past weekend, Counsell doesn't sound like he's moving off Webb as his closer.

"He's kind of held this whole thing together for most of the year. He's been great. He's having a heck of a season. Today doesn't change that. He's gonna be out there the next time there's an opportunity."

Craig Counsell on Jacob Webb. pic.twitter.com/SvhUcomOQU
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) August 23, 2026

Other names like Daniel Palencia, Ryan Zeferjahn, Caleb Thielbar, and Aaron Civale are options. But they have to prove they're back in the circle of trust over these next few weeks. Palencia had mixed results in the minors, though he looked good in his return outing in Seattle with two strikeouts. Zeferjahn has late-inning stuff but hasn't been added to this group with a 7.50 ERA in his seven outings in a Cubs uniform.

As for a player like Thielbar, he probably gets replaced as the second lefty reliever by Peterson or Justin Steele, if healthy. And while Civale did eat some huge innings for the Cubs on Sunday, any of Rea, Assad, or Cabrera will probably claim a roster spot over him.

So, assuming the Cubs take 13 pitchers and 13 position players, there are 17 possible options for 13 spots. I think it's safe to say Holmes, Gausman, Boyd, Webb, Rolison, and Thorton are on the playoff roster at this point. I would also include Peterson, Imanaga, and Rea, which brings us to nine pitchers and leaves four spots left.

Palencia should make the roster if he pitches well, and the same goes for Ryan Zeferjahn, too. That means two spots left for Assad, Cabrera, Brown, Steele, Thielbar, and Civale, which will probably be decided by how the IL looks.

It would likely be Cabrera and Brown if all goes well, but it would be hard to leave Javier Assad off this playoff roster. Nevertheless, those would be my choices for Cubs "out-getters" this October. We'll see who Counsell settles on with a month left in the season.

Sign up for our free newsletter to stay up-to-date with all things Chicago Cubs.

Add us as a preferred source on Google