Cubs top trade deadline need is same position as last year despite offseason moves originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Chicago Cubs are off to a solid start to the 2026 MLB season, with a 13-9 record that's only 1.5 games back of the Cincinnati Reds for first place in the NL Central.
They're one of the best teams in baseball defensively, and the offense is a solid group as well. But the pitching staff does have a lot of questions. Daniel Palencia landed on the injured list, proving to be a big issue for the Cubs' bullpen. But that's not their top need.
Instead, Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter called out the Cubs' starting rotation as the team's biggest trade deadline need. For the second year in a row, the Cubs need to find a way to bring in more rotation help, as Craig Counsell's unit is a bit depleted already.
"The Cubs have used eight different starting pitchers through 21 games, and will now be without Cade Horton for the remainder of the season after he underwent Tommy John surgery," Reuter writes.
Cade Horton's injury was a tough blow for the Cubs, as the team was already dealing with a pair of injuries to Matthew Boyd and Justin Steele. While those two could return this season, Horton is done for the year.
If Boyd and Steele come back healthy, they'd join Edward Cabrera, Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon, Colin Rea, and Javier Assad in the Cubs rotation.
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A fully healthy rotation, minus Horton, is a deep group for the Cubs. But the team could still use another frontline starter. If there's a chance to land a frontline starter, even if only a rental, the Cubs should consider such a move.
While the Cubs' rotation was an issue last year, and this offseason they addressed it with the Cabrera addition, the injury to Horton has opened a spot atop the rotation.
Their depth has been tested, and after seeing what those options have to offer, a frontline starter seems to be the obvious need for the Cubs as they try and seperate themselves from a tightly contested NL Central.
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