Projecting next year’s Chicago Cubs starting rotation

The Cubs will need to add at least one more free agent

The Cubs will face serious pressure to spend money during the winter. Anthony Rizzo even came out with some strong words about the organization and suggested that their notoriety and large market status should enable them to compete year in and year out.

The worst part about his stance is that it is 100 percent true and accurate. The Cubs have no excuse to not compete against the rest of the National League when the resources are there. They gave Seiya Suzuki a five-year deal worth $80 million and Marcus Stroman received $71 million over three.

They were willing to spend the money in 2022 so why should we expect any less in 2023? A lot of media members have mentioned the Cubs going after a top shortstop in free agency but a pitcher would be much more enticing. Nico Hoerner should stay at shortstop and continue to grow his game while the team addresses an actual issue.

The upcoming free agent crop features a lot of outstanding starting pitchers. If they wind up on the open market, the Cubs should be all over the top names.

Aaron Nola and Joe Musgrove are the two names that stand out to me at this point. Nola carries a 3.42 ERA through 13 starts this season with 10.0 K/9. He is not as much of a game-changer as other options on the market but his value should be what the Cubs are looking for to fill out their rotation.

Musgrove, on the other hand, is having a phenomenal season with the Padres. He is currently 7-0 with a 1.50 ERA across 72 innings. He’s allowed just 12 earned runs in his 11 starts to open the season.