Cubs starting pitching depth

[lfg26]

I was thinking how funny/sad/interesting the starting pitching situation is with the Cubs. Now, after the deadline, I'm gonna try and rank our starting pitching depth (even though it's pretty impossible with all the injuries and variables)....

 

healthy and likely a playoff starter

(ranking 1 thru 4 is a tossup)          other healthy (?) options            might be healthy soon

1. Kevin Gausman RHP                     1. Javier Assad                             1. Ben Brown

2. Matthew Boyd LHP                      2. Braxton Garrett                       2. Edward Cabrera

3. Clay Holmes RHP                         3. David Peterson                        3. Justin Steele

4. Shota Imanaga LHP                     4. Colin Rea

 

That's 11 potential starters for the playoffs. Hopefully, everyone can get healthy and it truly becomes the best 4 out of those 11 starting in the playoffs. Momentum is going to be a big indicator for who pitches in the playoffs. Ben Brown is a huge dark horse for us (maybe Steele as well but I don't want to get my hopes up). Let the best men win!!

Edited 10 hours ago by lfg26

[lfg26]

Come to think of it, if all 11 of those guys are healthy and throwing well when the playoffs come, Counsell is gonna have a lot of interesting options for the pen. Options that may or may not work..... but, there will be options nonetheless. That said, there may very well be freak injuries to perhaps all of these guys in the next month, just because that's apparently what happens these days.

Edited 11 hours ago by lfg26

[Rex Buckingham]

Peterson, Rea and Garrett almost certainly don't make a playoff roster if the other guys are healthy. I think Assad would likely be next on the cut list if the others are healthy, maybe Steele depending on what he looks like out of the pen. 

Ben Brown has a chance to be an absolute weapon if he can be healthy. Cabrera is a complete wildcard. Could be one of our 4 best starters, could work out of the pen, could be off the playoff roster entirely

[Bertz]

I look at our depth like this:

- Boyd/Gausman/Holmes are your clear top three and the guys you'd expect to start playoff games if they're healthy and effective.  There's enough depth now though that presumably if one of them limps into the playoffs like Boyd did last year we don't just have to keep marching without recourse

- Shota's the clear #4 in the regular season, and presumably starts a playoff game with a short leash.  The times through the order penalty has hit him like a freight train which is unfortunate in the regular season but less of a problem in October

- Cabrera's had his struggles but obviously should stick in the rotation.  Both because there's not really much reason to think anyone behind him is better, but also because as someone here longer term there's incentive to get him right.  He'd probably be a moster airing it out for ~3 innings in the playoffs

- Peterson is the clear guy for the rotation if someone above is hurt, and also has positive bullpen experience so should still be a contributor if they're not

- Rea, Assad and Garrett are probably done as MLB starters this year short of a spot start or two.  But they're legitimate depth.  Assad and Garrett you can stash at Iowa which is nice, Rea's generally been good out of the pen

- Probably Brown and definitely Steele are not starting another game in 2026, but I'm excited to have them in relief

- No prospects at Iowa look likely to contribute in the short term.  Sanders looked close before he hit the IL, and Wiggins could turn things around fast (much more likely downshifting to relief), but especially now with the added depth this isn't going to happen