MLB Insider Rightfully Not Impressed With Chicago Cubs Offseason Thus Far

The Chicago Cubs have been among the many organizations that haven't made many significant moves this offseason, which might be concerning when opening day rolls around.

Teams like the Orioles and the Blue Jays have been awfully aggressive in upgrading their 2025 roster, but the Cubs have not done the same.

Jim Bowden of The Athletic released his list of the most-improved teams so far this offseason, and the Cubs are not listed amongst his top seven. Bowden made it clear that being left off this list means their signings have not put the team in a "much better position compared to last year."

As of now, the Cubs have added depth to their bullpen with the signings of Phil Maton, Hoby Milner, Hunter Harvey, and Caleb Thielbar. But their pen also lost Drew Pomeranz, Brad Keller and Daniel Palencia.

Phil Maton throwing a pitch during the ninth inning for the Rangers as their close — Phil Maton | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Thielbar wasn't the only pitcher that the team re-signed from the 2025 roster, as Shota Imanaga accepted his qualifying offer. The Cubs are still actively trying to add another arm to the rotation, but have come up short in a pair of bidding wars with both Dylan Cease and Tatsuya Imai.

Now, Jed Hoyer is looking elsewhere for an additional player to join Cade Horton, Matthew Boyd, Imanaga, Jameson Taillon, and (eventually) Justin Steele. If Hoyer can do that, then surely the Cubs' stock will rise. But for now, that is how the cards fall.

Pitchers the Cubs are currently linked to

Edward Cabrera

Cabrera throwing a pitch for the Marlins in the first inning. — Edward Cabrera | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Cabrera is pitching for the Miami Marlins and is currently in his second year of arbitration, meaning that if Hoyer can add him to the Cubs' staff, it will be via trade, but likely for a low cost, as he has yet to establish himself amongst the top pitchers in the game.

While he has yet to emerge as a No.1 starter (at least on a team like the Cubs) he would be a nice complement to their current rotation as he finished 2025 with a 3.53 ERA and 150 strikeouts.

Framber Valdez

Valdez will be the opposite of Cabrera, as he is going to cost a pretty penny to lock down as a 2x All-Star. Since becoming a primary starter for the Astros back in 2022, he has averaged a 3.21 ERA and 188 strikeouts.

Ranger Suárez

Ranger Suarez | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The 29-year-old has been on the Cubs' radar for a while now. He has a career ERA of 3.38 and was even better in 2025 (3.20). He also just posted the most strikeouts in his career (151) in only 26 starts.

The Cubs are looking to bolster their rotation, and while there are still good options left, they will need to act fast or miss out.

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