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Inside The Cubs

Chicago Cubs Starting Rotation Heading Into Opening Day

Chicago has plenty of good things going for their starting rotation, but also a major question surrounding a pitcher who they thought would be a sure thing in 2026.
Maddy Dickens|
Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Matthew Boyd
Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Matthew Boyd | Jovanny Hernandez / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Opening Day for the 2026 season is just a few days away, and the Chicago Cubs are easily looking like the frontrunner for the NL Central title. With Spring Training nearly over, their starting rotation is looking pretty solidified.

The Cubs haven't exactly had an impressive Spring Training, going 13-16 as of publishing with a winning percentage of .448, but Major League Baseball is an incredibly long season.

With Spring Training coming to a close, Cubs beat writer Meghan Montemurro provided fans with the latest update on the team's starting rotation.

Cade Horton throws a baseball in a gray Cubs unifor
Cubs starting pitcher Cade Horton (22) delivers a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Cubs starting rotation heading into the 2026 season

"A look at how the Cubs' rotation is lined up to start the season: Matthew Boyd, Cade Horton, and Shota Imanaga vs. the Nationals, then Edward Cabrera and Jameson Taillon vs. the Angels. Taillon will stay back to pitch in a minor-league game Wednesday," Montemurro wrote.

Boyd received the nod as the Opening Day starter, and last year's rookie sensation, Cade Horton, is going to be more than exciting to watch in 2026. Horton finished his training work with 14 strikeouts in a pair of starts, averaging nearly 12 strikeouts per nine innings.

The top of their rotation is elite, while some major questions arise with at least one pitcher — Taillon.

Biggest surprise in this updated rotation

Jameson Taillon
Jameson Taillon | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

If someone was told that Jameson Taillon was going to be at the very bottom of the starting rotation back before training started, they would've thought it was a lie. Taillon was easily looking to hold down at least the No. 3 spot, but after the spring he's had — which he's acknowledged — it's easy to argue he shouldn't even be a starter.

Taillon has struggled mightily, finishing training with a 17.55 ERA. 17.55. Chicago used him in just over 13 innings, during which he allowed nearly a home run per inning and 26 total earned runs.

To add insult to injury, Taillon averaged 17.6 hits per nine innings while averaging nearly seven homers in that same amount of time. By the end of it, he finished with a 2.63 WHIP while allowing hitters to hit over .400.

The now 34-year-old looked like an entirely different pitcher to end the season in 2025 as he went 4-1 in his final six starts with a 1.60 ERA. That is the pitcher that Chicago needs if they want to be World Series contenders and take down the reigning World Champions.

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Maddy Dickens
MADDY DICKENS

Maddy Dickens resides in Loveland, Colorado. She grew up with two older brothers, where their lives revolved around sports. She earned a master's degree in business management from Tarleton State University while simultaneously playing basketball and competing in rodeo at the collegiate level. She successfully parlayed a reserve national championship into a professional rodeo career and now stays involved in upper-level athletics by writing for On SI on several different MLB teams' pages, along with some NCAA sites.

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