The Chicago Cubs head into the offseason with the goal of improvement firmly at the front of mind following their first real playoff run in close to a decade.
Excitement echoed through the stands at Wrigley Field in October for the first time in what felt like forever, and president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer has spoken since the elimination about the desire to get right back there.
The free agency of Kyle Tucker looms large, but it’s safe to say at this point Tucker will not be back and the focus will be on other improvements.
With a youth movement set to be deployed in the lineup, the pitching staff could be what sees the most financial investment, but there’s one name in particular out there who Chicago should be focusing on if they want to acquire a new ace.
Cubs Are Perfect Fit For Padres Superstar Dylan Cease
Chicago needs starting pitching, and for the most part, chose to ignore this need at the trade deadline due to the ridiculous price teams were asking for. More specifically, though, they need more swing and miss stuff in their starting rotation.
The San Diego Padres were one of those teams that kept their arms and wound up holding onto Cease in a contract year despite interest, and now the Cubs have the chance to get him without giving up a prospect haul in return.
Cease is coming off a rough season, at least on the surface level, but this could wind up working to the benefit of potential suitors as they try to land the former Cy Young candidate.
Cease Could Wind Up Signing For Less After Tough Year
Cease’s 2025 season was a strange one, pitching to a 4.55 ERA and 1.327 with a bWAR of just 1.1, right after posting a very impressive bWAR figure of 4.2 in the 2024 season. The surface numbers don’t tell the whole story, though, and the right-hander’s stuff is as good as ever.
With 215 strikeouts in 168 innings, Cease led all qualified pitchers across baseball with 11.5 K’s per nine innings, something Chicago was missing desperately in the rotation this season. The rising ERA and WHIP numbers, though, could result in the 29-year-old either signing for less over the long-term, or even a one-year prove-it deal, both things that Hoyer could and should be interested in.
On top of the swing and miss, Cease is among the most reliable pitchers in baseball, making him an even better fit for a Cubs team that dealt with a ton of injuries in the rotation this year
Cease Does Not Miss Starts
For the fifth season in a row, Cease has made a full slate of at least 32 starts. He is not the innings eater that some ace pitchers are, with a career high of 189.1 innings in a season, but he can be depended upon to go out there every fifth day and make his start, something Chicago could not count on this season.
Even just that for the Cubs would offer a rotation that is extremely depleted at times, an absolutely massive boost. And chances are the numbers on Cease will look a whole lot better next year.
While the exact kind of contract he’s going to be looking for remains to be seen, Chicago should be very involved in the pursuit of Cease, and adding him would instantly change the outlook on next year’s staff dramatically.
