Chicago Cubs Rumors: Early names emerge in team's search for starting pitching

The early talk of the Chicago Cubs' offseason is that the team will be looking to add an established starting pitcher to the top of their starting rotation.

Naturally, speculations has been quick to point in the direction of Corbin Burnes. The connections to Burnes for the Cubs are obvious, not only due to his previous experience in pitching against the National League Central also due to that experience being with Craig Counsell as his manager. Certainly, the Cubs will likely poke around on Burnes' asking price this offseason but it seems to be a move beyond their realm of expectation.

In his latest for The Athletic (Subscription Required), Patrick Mooney drops some early free-agent names for fans to keep an eye on for the Cubs' need in the rotation. The two pitchers that got the first mention from Mooney are Max Fried and Nathan Eovaldi.

Early names emerge in Chicago Cubs' search for starting pitching.

With Fried, it would seem likely that Dansby Swanson would be part of the recruiting efforts to land his former teammate in Chicago. In 29 starts with the Atlanta Braves this season, Fried posted a 3.25 ERA in 174.1 innings pitched. Fried also fits the profile of the type of pitcher that the Cubs prefer to target. Fried doesn't have the swing-and-miss like Burners has but his pitch mix has made him just as effective.

Eovaldi, who has a $20MM player option to potentially return to the Texas Rangers in 2025, likely would be closest to the Cubs'spending model given his age. Eovaldi turns 35 next February but remains an effective starting pitcher. With the Rangers last season, Eovaldi posted a 3.80 ERA through 29 starts.

If the Cubs are going to make starting pitcher their priority in free agency, the team would be best served targeting Fried if they aren't going to be in the market for Burnes. The addition of Fried would give the Cubs a potential postseason rotation of Justin Steele, Shota Imanaga, and Fried with Jameson Taillon behind them. That's a rotation that could certainly win a postseason series.