Cubs Offseason Priority: Pitching, Power, and the Pursuit of Former Stars

With reports of the Cardinals looking to offload established MLB talent, the Reds in need of more than one piece, the Pirates in a perpetual rebuild and the Brewers looking to optimize their payroll, how will the Cubs navigate this offseason to build upon their success in 2025?

The number one priority atop Jed Hoyer's to-do list this offseason is to build more pitching depth, whether through free agency or through trades.  Unfortunately, the Cubs moved a valued arm in Andrew Kittredge and declined the unique option for lefty Shota Imanaga, Jed has already put the front office behind schedule. While an extension between Imanaga and the Cubs could be in the works, pitching is still the main focus.  Names like Dylan Cease and MacKenzie have been linked to the Cubs during last off season and this past trade deadline. However, the offense too could also use some reworking.

The Cubs boasted one of the better offenses in baseball last year, but experienced prolonged cold periods. Many believe that the Cubs could be in on the marquee free agents of this class - but that was true for the last couple of offseasons.  But unlike in ‘23 and ‘24, this club needs an extra jolt to not only keep the fire going, but to push beyond the NLDS and reach the pinnacle of the baseball world.  

With that in mind, one could reason that while pitching is the main focus, acquisitions to the lineup could also be on the horizon. So what moves could the Cubs make?

Adding thump to the lineup

The Cubs extended the qualifying offer to right fielder Kyle Tucker ($22.05 million), who is projected to decline the offer due to his market value being valued in the $35-$40 million AAV range. So with the power hitting slugger likely leaving, how do the Cubs supplement the loss of his power (.464 SLG and 22 HR)? 

The easy answer is to platoon Seiya Suzuki and Owen Caisse. Both offer the power needed to drive runs in from the middle of the order, and they bat on opposite sides of the plate, offering the natural platoon. But rumors have surfaced that the Cubs are interested in a slugger from the West Coast.

Former top 10 pick and the Angles top prospect Jo Adell had a breakout 2025 at 26 years old, leading to many teams inquiring about making a move for the outfielder. After 3 seasons of subpar play (.214/.259/.366 in 178 games), Adell finally found some traction in 2024 after hitting a career high 20 home runs and registering 0.9 bWAR.  Building on that 2024 season, Adell went on to crank 37 homers and finish with a .778 OPS.  While Adell still strikes out at an above average rate (26.4%) and needs to develop his ability to take his walks (career 6% BB rate), the power has always been the tool that evaluators and fans have dreamed on. 

His .550 slug in the minor leagues gave the impression that he would be able to hit in the middle of the order and be a big run producer for guys like Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani, but those aforementioned strikeout issues never allowed him to consistently showcase his power.  However, with a refined approach and more consistent contact, Adell finally displayed the talent that led him to be the 10th pick in the draft, especially against left handed pitching where he slashed .277/.346/585 with 7 HR.

The Angels have made Adell available for trade and Bruce Levine of WSCR-AM  was quoted as saying "There's a lot of teams that like the minor league system of the Chicago Cubs. One of them being the Los Angeles Angels.” Levine speculated that Ben Brown or Jordan Wicks could be shipped off to LA to bring Adell to the friendly confines.

Lefty Strikeout artist makes his way to Wrigley

As the minutes wound down at the 2025 trade deadline, it was clear that no significant upgrade was coming in the Cubs rotation, with teams asking too much for their young controllable starters.  But one deal never materialized. Hoyer now could pick up where he left off and get a deal done.

Multiple sources reported that the Cubs were looking at making a trade for Nationals ace MacKenzie Gore but were unwilling to part ways with the necessary assets (like Owen Caissie and Matt Shaw) to pull the trigger. But the belief is that the lefty might be on the move this offseason and the possible decrease in his price due to his poor second half (3.02 first half ERA v. 6.75 second half ERA) might spur the Cubs to get a deal done. Gore -who is under team control for the next two seasons - would be worth the risk despite a poor second half.  

The southpaw punched out a career-high 185 hitters in less than 160 innings, graded out as a 3-WAR arm, and features a fastball that sits 95. While the career numbers don't scream “frontline starter” (career 4.19 ERA and a 26-41 record), Washington hasn’t won more than 71 games in a season during his time in D.C., and their defense grades out poorly.  If the Cubs drop the slender 6’2” southpaw in Wrigley with three Gold Glovers and an offense who can score with the best of them, Gore might reach the status of a frontline starter.

Once a Cub, Always a Cub

Playing for the Cubs has been heralded as one of the more unique experiences a baseball player can have. Whether it's raining, 45 degrees outside, or sunny and 85 out, Wrigley is always packed and loud, regardless of what is happening on the field.  While not everyone who is drafted or acquired by the Cubs gets to play at Wrigley as a Cub, but at some point they might find themselves playing at Wrigley and always have glowing things to say about the park. The 2026 free agent class includes two players who can vouch for the atmosphere at Wrigley Field.

Dylan Cease has carved out a nice career as a big leaguer across 4 Major League seasons.  He’s thrown a no-hitter, pitched in the playoffs, finished top 5 in Cy Young voting twice and led the league in pitching bWAR in 2022 with 6.4.

Before all of that success, Cease was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 6th round of the 2014 draft out of Milton High School in Milton, Georgia.  Cease had a successful minor league career with the Cubs logging 213 ⅔ innings and an ERA of 2.86, making him the Cubs best pitching prospect and their number 4 prospect, and the 77th best prospect in baseball to start 2017.  However, as the Cubs were looking to defend their World Series title and in need of pitching help, the Cubs shipped off Cease alongside power-hitting outfield prospect Eloy Jimenez and infield prospects Matt Rose and Bryant Flete in exchange for lefty starter and Jose Quintana.

After being part of one of the more polarizing trades in Chicago baseball history  and all of the success mentioned earlier, 2025 was a season that Cease would like to have back, especially in a contract year. Cease owned an ERA over 4.5 in 2025 and gave up more hits and walked more than he had the previous season. But the righty finished 2025 on somewhat of a high note, a note that the Cubs front office might keep in mind. 

Taking the mound in a win or go home game 3 in the 2025 wild card, Cease spun 3 innings of scoreless baseball against the team that drafted, and traded him to the cross town rival Chicago White Sox.  The Padres would go on to lose that game, but Cease showed the Cubs he could pitch well in Wrigley when the stakes were the highest. Cease also has pitched well in his 3 starts in Wrigley compiling a 2.50 ERA across 18 innings in the regular season.

Cease has been linked to the Cubs in numerous trade rumors over the last couple of seasons and with the Cubs recent history of bringing back players that they once traded away, Cease could be next. Cease features a 4-seam fastball that averages 97 with a hard slider that leaves hitters guessing. While the surface numbers don’t look great, a look at the advanced numbers show a different story.  According to Baseball Savant, Cease’s xERA of 3.43 ranked in the 74th percentile and when you couple that with his 95th percentile whiff rate (33.4%), his 72nd hard hit rate (37.5%) and his 80th chase rate (31%), you get season that any starting pitcher would want. 

Cease's contract is projected to be in the neighborhood of 6-7 years and $150-190 million. If Cease were to sign with the Cubs, it would be the biggest contract the Cubs have ever given to a starter, beating out Jon Lester's previous mark of 6 years $155 million. With Shota Imanaga’s option declined and his return uncertain, the Cubs could add Cease to the rotation and form a formidable rotation that features Cease, rookie of the year runner-up Cade Horton, fan favorite and steady starter Justin Steele, Jameson Tallion and Matthew Boyd.  Hoyer has been adamant about adding pitching this offseason and it's no secret that the Cubs have been interested in Cease since they traded him, he could be the big fish the Cubs are looking for.

Cease might not be the only reunion that Cubs might make this season, one other player that has since left the Cubs and could make a return is the power hitting lefty, Kyle Schwarber.

After being drafted 4th overall in 2014, it didn’t take long for the slugger to reach Wrigley, as Schwarber would make his debut in mid June of 2015 and made an immediate impact blasting 16 home runs and finishing 2015 with a .842 OPS in 69 games. Even though his 2016 regular season was only 2 games, Kyle would make an improbable comeback in the World Series and help the Cubs win their first title in 108 years.  Schwarber spent parts of 6 seasons with the Cubs, but was non-tendered after the 2020 season where he hit an abysmal .188. He would regain his power hitting ways as he would go on to hit 219 more home runs across five seasons with Boston, Washington and Philadelphia.

Schwarber hits free agency for the 3rd time in his career and is looking to cash in big time as he is thought to sign a deal that would pay him around $25 million annually.  With the money that the Cubs are not likely to commit to Kyle Tucker (roughly $400 million), the Cubs could instead bring back two players that they let get away and bolster the 2026 team to make a legitimate push at not only a division title, but a World Series title.

With less than $130 million committed in payroll for 2026, $58 million in 2027, and $27 million in 2028; the Cubs have the room to commit massive financial resources to former Cubs such as Dylan Cease and Kyle Schwarber, extending current Cubs like Cade Horton and Pete Crow-Armstrong and ensuring the success of the franchise for the foreseeable future.  And with that payroll flexibility, they open the opportunity to make a big trade for an anchor in their starting rotation such as MacKenzie Gore and bring in  key pieces to their bench like Jo Adell.  

With 2025 in the books as a success, 2026 has the potential to be a season to remember on the North Side and could set this team up for continued success that the franchise lacked following it’s last title in 2016.