Way too early look at 2027

2026 is still alive and kicking, and we honestly don’t know when the labor issues will be solved for 2027. But with the recent news of Ben Brown’s now season-ending neck injury, I thought I’d take a look at what next year has to hold.

Keep in mind that player an mutual options are rarely exercized.

Starting Rotation

• Justin Steele – hopefully will be back 100%. But who knows what that will look like.
• Ben Brown – can the Cubs and Brown figure out how to keep him healthy, or will the neck injury linger through his whole career?
• Cade Horton – Probably not back until the 2nd half, and might not be back at all
• Edward Cabrera – can he bounce back from blister issues to be a positive contributor as a starter?
• Javier Assad – will the Cubs give him a chance?
• Braxton Garrett – will be in the mix.

Might be back

• Colin Rea – has a $7.5M team option, which I would expect them to pick up, but maybe not.

Losing:

• Matthew Boyd – has a $15M mutual option
• Clay Holmes – has a $12.7M player option
• Shota Imanaga – Free agent
• Kevin Gausman – Free agent
• David Peterson – Free agent

Bullpen

• Jacob Webb – $2.5M team option will be picked up
• Daniel Palencia – can he rediscover his from from 2025 and the WBC?
• Ryan Rolison – he is still under contract next year
• Phil Maton – has one more year on his deal. Can he get his knee health yenough to contribute?
• Ryan Zeferjahn – can he show what he did for the Angels?
• Shelby Miller – should be back for a full season after rehabbing this year.
• Gavin Hollowell – he showed some good signs before being injured
• Ethan Roberts – there’s a chance they non-tender him, but I’d guess he will stick around.
• Tyler Ferguson – would have to be kept on the 40-man roster, but he could be kept around

Might be back

• Caleb Thielbar – $6M mutual option – probably no, but might negotiate a slightly smaller deal. Or if he finishes strong, the Cubs might exercise the option, and I think Thielbar would do the same.

Losing

• Hunter Harvey – $8M mutual option – no thank you
• Trent Thornton – Free agent
• Aaron Civale – Free agent

Position Players

• Pete Crow-Armstrong – CF
• Alex Bregman – 3B
• Dansby Swanson – SS
• Nico Hoerner – 2B
• Michael Busch – 1B
• Matt Shaw – IF/OF
• Pedro Ramirez – 3B/2B
• Miguel Amaya – C
• Kevin Alcantara – OF
• BJ Murray – 1B/3B
• Owen Ayers – C

Might be back

• Carson Kelly – C – $7.5M mutual option – test are almost always declined, but I could see it being a decent value for both parties
• Gabriel Arias – IF – Would need to stay on the 40-man roster

Losing

• Seiya Suzuki – RF
• Ian Happ – LF
• Tyrone Taylor – OF

What do they need to add?

1. A starting pitcher or two. They have so many question marks with Brown, Steele, Cabrera and Horton. I’d love to see them re-sign Holmes, who will certainly decline his player option. But the Cubs have not had a history of paying top dollar for a free-agent starter.
   
   Here are some options (beyond Holmes, Gausman, Imanaga, Boyd and Peterson):
   -Tarik Skubal
   -Sonny Gray (mutual option)
   -Michael King (opt-out)
   -Robbie Ray
   -Luis Severino (player option)
   -Brandon Woodruff
   – Zac Gallen
   -Jose Berrios
   -Chris Bassitt
   -Tatsuya Imai (opt-out)
   -Jack Flaherty
   -Nick Pivetta (opt-out)
   -Brady Singer
   -Shane Bieber
   -Kyle Freeland
   -Nick Martinez (mutual option)
   -Dustin May (mutual option)
   -Tyler Mahle
   
2. A reliever or two. They actually have potentially solid group, with big surprises Webb and Rolison coming back. Zeferjahn and Palencia will be expected to contribute. It would also be great if Phil Maton could provide them with something in the 2nd year of a 2-year deal.
   
3. A corner outfielder – perhaps they give Shaw, Alcantara and Ramirez the chance to win one of those jobs. But to keep the offense humming, they really need to re-sign Suzuki or Happ (preferably Suzuki), but that will be expensive. Not too many other options:
   
   -George Springer
   -Trent Grisham
   -Randy Arozerena
   -Taylor Ward
   -Dalton Varsho
   -Cedric Mullins (mutual option)
   
4. A catcher, if Carson Kelly leaves and Owen Ayers is not ready. Miguel Amaya has not been quite as good as hoped in a shared role. Tyler Stevenson of the Reds would be a very nice add, but probably too expensive.