Chicago Cubs Need To Add an Ace To Avoid Potential Downfall in Postseason

After an injury to Justin Steele, the Chicago Cubs need to add an ace to avoid disaster come the postseason.

Apr 7, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Justin Steele (35) delivers against the Texas Rangers during the first inning at Wrigley Field. | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

The Chicago Cubs are off to an excellent start this season, but there is reason to be concerned moving forward.

Coming into the year, the Cubs had high expectations after an amazing offseason. There were few teams in baseball that improved as much on paper as them, resulting in the team being the favorite in the National League Central.

So far, the franchise is meeting those lofty expectations. Chicago's offense has been especially strong, led by early NL MVP candidate Kyle Tucker.

It's pretty amazing what he has seemingly been able to do for the lineup in just a couple of weeks, with the entire unit seemingly elevated.

While the batting order is looking great, the pitching staff has some concerns. The bullpen has once again been poor to start the campaign, despite the team making upgrades.

Furthermore, the starting rotation -- which was a strength last year -- now has some issues emerging as well.

Johnny Flores Jr. of The Athletic (subscription required) wrote about the potential downfall for the Cubs this season being their need for an ace at the top of the rotation, which was further amplified after the injury to Justin Steele.

“With Steele set for some form of elbow and forearm surgery that will keep him out the rest of 2025 and beyond, the need for a frontline starter has increased tenfold,” Flores writes.

Even before the loss of one of their best pitchers for the rest of the season, Chicago was likely lacking a true ace to be a contender in the National League.

When looking at some of the stiff competition in the NL, the Cubs are lacking in terms of having one if not two aces in the rotation. Looking at some of the other contenders like the Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres, and Los Angeles Dodgers, all three arguably have multiple pitchers better than the best on Chicago.

In a potential playoff series, that could result in the downfall of the Cubs with lopsided matchups like that.

While the unit was strong last year, led by Steele and Shota Imanaga, it wasn’t enough to get them into the postseason.

Now, with the team losing their star southpaw for the rest of the campaign, the need for another frontline starter has only been amplified.

With Chicago proving early on that they can be one of the best teams in the league, the front office must try to help get them over the top.

While winning regular-season games is one thing, winning in the playoffs requires a lot more. For the Cubs, that means they need to find an ace.