Chicago Cubs Will Have Intriguing Battle for Final Spot in Starting Rotation

What will the starting rotation look like for the Chicago Cubs on Opening Day?

Sep 19, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Javier Assad (72) delivers a pitch against the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Wrigley Field. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

With the 2025 campaign getting closer for the Chicago Cubs, they will be looking to finalize what their starting rotation will look like on Opening Day.

It has been a great offseason for the Cubs this winter. Chicago came in with a desire to improve and they certainly accomplished that. With upgrades to their lineup and bullpen, the Cubs appear to be the favorite in the National League Central entering the season.

In 2024, Chicago was a good team with 83 wins, but they will be seeking much more and a trip to the postseason this coming campaign. Last season, they relied heavily on a talented rotation to win games and this coming year the unit looks strong as well.

Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report recently predicted what the starting rotation will look like for the Cubs on Opening Day. With some talented pitchers, there could be a battle for the final spot in Spring Training.

“Colin Rea vs. Javier Assad could be an interesting position battle to watch this spring, but the Cubs could also opt to go with a six-man rotation and include both on the starting staff to start the year.”

At the top of the rotation, things are looking pretty good for Chicago entering 2025. The trio of Shōta Imanaga, Justin Steele, and Jameson Taillon was very good last year, with Imanaga emerging as one of the best young pitchers in baseball.

The Cubs will once again be leaning heavily on these three to perform like they did last year.

Behind the talented trio will be veteran left-hander Matthew Boyd, who Chicago signed this offseason. The southpaw missed a good chunk of the season with the Cleveland Guardians but pitched well when he was healthy.

The real battle will likely come for the final spot in the rotation. In addition to adding Boyd this winter, the Cubs also brought in Colin Rea from the Milwaukee Brewers. The right-hander is a solid pitcher at the end of the rotation, but he will be challenged by Javier Assad for the fifth spot.

In his first full year as a starting pitcher, Assad pitched very well, totaling a (7-6) record and a 3.73 ERA. However, he didn’t go very deep into games, which is a bit of a concern and could potentially result in him losing out to Rea.

As Chicago heads into Spring Training, it will be interesting to see what the approach is with their rotation. They could elect to have the two battle it out for the traditional five-man rotation, or using a six-man rotation might also be an option.

This is certainly a good problem to have for the Cubs and the overall state of the rotation is strong.