Cubs rotation projection suddenly looks different after David Peterson trade and injury news

The Chicago Cubs have one of the best starting rotations in the league. Well, I should say, if you compiled a rotation using Cubs pitchers currently on the IL, you'd have one of the best starting staffs in baseball.

Cade Horton, Justin Steele, Ben Brown, Jameson Taillon and Edward Cabrera are all currently sidelined. Horton is done for the year, Steele might return, but likely only as a short-burst reliever, Taillon isn't due back until after the All-Star break and the jury is still out on Cabrera and Brown. And let's not forget the fact the team's top pitching prospect, Jaxon Wiggins, is just now making rehab starts after missing the last three months with an elbow issue.

The starry-eyed optimism the season began with has been replaced (multiple times over) with more of a 'survive another day' mentality - and the Cubs' newest rotation projection definitely carries that vibe.

Cubs' new projected rotation does little to inspire a ton of confidence

Shota Imanaga

Flip a coin. That's what a Shota Imanaga start feels like. After getting off to a start reminiscent of his All-Star rookie season, things quickly got rocky for the left-hander. He carried a 2.28 ERA into mid-May, but since then, is the not-so-proud owner of a 7.41 ERA/7.77 FIP over his last seven starts, allowing 15 home runs during that span.

There's no way around it. The Cubs have to get better starts from Imanaga if they want to keep their heads above water to close out the first half. He did enough to give the team a chance to win in New York this week, but even then, allowed a trio of homers.

Matthew Boyd

Matthew Boyd returned to the Cubs' rotation this week against the Mets, his first start since May 4, when he suffered a freak injury, tearing his meniscus while playing with his kids. His recovery hit a bump with some shoulder soreness, but he appears to be healthy and his return couldn't come at a better time.

The veteran southpaw was a first-time All-Star in 2025, but he hadn't yet recaptured that form when he hit the injured list. Two clunkers really marred his overall numbers in five starts, and the Cubs will look for more consistency from him now that he's back. Fingers crossed, the 2.35 FIP is closer to what we see instead of the 6.00 ERA.

Colin Rea

Colin Rea catches plenty of flak from Cubs fans who, frankly, are just frustrated we keep finding ourselves in the position where the veteran has to start every five days, but where would the team be without him?

Since the start of last season, Rea has thrown more than 250 innings for the Cubs (that's more than any other Cubs pitcher, for what it's worth) and while the results aren't exactly front-of-the-rotation caliber, he's more than pulled his weight, first taking the spot of Steele in 2025 and, this year, filling in for Horton, who went down in April with a season-ending injury.

Javier Assad

Javier Assad, like Rea, doesn't get the appreciation he probably deserves. At best, he's probably a five in a big-league rotation, but he has continually outperformed the metrics to deliver more quality than not. The right-hander enters the closing days of June with a 4.04 ERA in six starts and six relief appearances.

Home runs have been a bigger problem this year than in year's past, but more often than not, Assad at least keeps the Cubs in the ballgame. If the offense starts clicking, there's a decent chance Chicago wins more of his upcoming starts than it loses.

David Peterson

At last, we reach the newest member of the Cubs' starting rotation: David Peterson. Nobody knows just what the Cubs will get from the left-hander. Mets fans seem convinced he'll be more of a pain than anything else, but the door is at least open for him to improve with, you know, a team actually capable of playing good defense behind him.

An All-Star in 2025, the wheels have just totally fallen off since last summer, so it's on the Cubs to sort him out and figure some things out. If Jed Hoyer hits on this trade, there's a chance - albeit a slim one - the team can weather the storm and hold out until Taillon, Cabrera and Brown return this summer.

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