CHICAGO -- Jameson Taillon was able to watch one of Cade Horton’s recent bullpen sessions while the pitchers have been in Chicago for Cubs Convention this weekend. The veteran righty also got a look at new rotation mate Edward Cabrera playing catch.
“All these guys just make me feel bad about myself with their velocity and stuff,” Taillon said. “We’re definitely going to have some more stuff in the rotation. That’s just really exciting.”
Building up the depth of the Cubs’ rotation -- plus bringing in some more potential for strikeouts -- was high on the front office’s list of priorities for this offseason. By the time the team’s annual fan fest arrived at the Sheraton Grand Chicago, president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer had addressed those tasks.
The acquisition of Cabrera and his high-octane arm from the Marlins earlier this month was a major piece to the puzzle -- one that cost three prospects, including slugging outfielder Owen Caissie. The Cubs also went through a series of contract steps with lefty Shota Imanaga, ending with him accepting a one-year qualifying offer to stay in the fold for 2026.
The Cubs also re-signed veteran righty Colin Rea as a depth option for the rotation and bullpen, which is a role he filled admirably last summer. As things stand, Rea would be behind the main five of Matthew Boyd, Cabrera, Horton, Imanaga and Taillon. And then lefty Justin Steele will be on the comeback trail for the first half.
“It’s extremely deep,” Steele said of the rotation group. “I would say we have eight to 10 guys that could go out there and take the ball any given day and you’d feel really good about your chances of winning the ballgame that day. Especially with the defense we have behind us now.
“It’s just a lot of gold out there behind you playing defense, so you feel good when the ball’s put in play. I feel really good about the pitching depth that we have this year.”
Javier Assad, Ben Brown and Jordan Wicks would be next on the depth chart, making them candidates for the rotation, bullpen or Triple-A Iowa to open the season. Top 100 prospect Jaxon Wiggins (No. 67 overall, per MLB Pipeline) is also on the radar, having reached Triple-A last year to cap off a breakout showing down on the farm.
Neither Cubs manager Craig Counsell nor Hoyer will ever say the team has enough pitching, but the foundation now looks solid to begin the season. By the time the Cubs reached the National League Division Series in October, the rotation had been thinned by injuries, subpar performance and playoff roster construction.
“It would’ve been daunting to do the seven-game series [after the NLDS],” Hoyer said during a panel on Saturday morning at Cubs Con. “So that was one of our biggest focuses, was focusing on pitching depth and swing-and-miss. That was the real appeal of Cabrera. … I do think that in 2026, pitching is a little bit of a war of attrition, and you've got to build up so much in the offseason to be able to withstand 162 games.”
Horton -- one of the better pitchers in the second half last season (1.03 ERA) and the NL runner-up for the Rookie of the Year Award -- is back to full strength now after a rib injury sidelined him in the playoffs. Steele, who had left elbow surgery in April, resumed throwing in October and got back on a mound for the first time since his procedure on Friday.
Boyd is coming off his first All-Star showing and posted a 3.21 ERA in 31 starts last year. Taillon ended his season on a strong run (1.85 ERA in his final seven outings) and was Chicago’s best starter in October. Imanaga went through a rocky season, but he is only a year removed from being an All-Star and Cy Young Award contender.
And now the Cubs have Cabrera, who struck out 150 in 137 2/3 innings with a 3.53 ERA and spun a 2.22 ERA in a 16-game stretch between May 4 and Aug. 8.
“I think this is a pitcher that’s coming into his best years,” Counsell said. “He’s talented. He’s put innings under his belt, which is just the experience. He’s getting better. And I think he’s primed … to improve and take another step forward.”
Horton loved the addition to the Cubs’ staff.
“It’s huge for us, just adding another power arm,” Horton said. “It’s going to be really good for us. And then just having depth -- it’s going to play really well in October. So yeah, I’m super excited. I’m glad that everybody’s coming back. We got really close last year.”