Dream Chicago Cubs starting rotation for 2026 MLB Opening Day

As we look ahead to 2026, the Chicago Cubs have the potential to roll out a talented starting rotation that blends proven players with exciting offseason additions — a dream mix that could push them back into contention.

The latest offseason rumors link the Cubs to several of the top starting pitchers on the free agent market, including Framber Valdez and Dylan Cease.

Suspending reality for a minute, and projecting a Cubs' rotation that would dominate the NL Central.

In this dream scenario, what if the Cubs decided to go all-in and sign both men? It sounds crazy, but this approach would set the team's rotation up for years to come and make up for the fact that Matthew Boyd and Jameson Taillon are not only aging but set to reach free agency after 2026. So let's look at how the Cubs' rotation would look if this somehow came true.

Dylan Cease

Although Cease had a somewhat down year in 2025 with a 4.55 ERA, there are signs that he is still an elite starting pitcher. For example, his Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP) was a much more respectable 3.56 last year, which points to him being much more effective than his ERA suggests. And playing in front of an elite Chicago Cubs' defense would only help him even more.

Not to mention the fact that Cease is coming off five-straight seasons of logging at least 32 starts and surpassing the 200-strikeout mark. He is the type of power-pitching, high-strikeout right-hander that the Cubs have been lacking in recent years.

Framber Valdez

Framber Valdez is arguably the most valuable starting pitcher on the market this offseason, and his pitching profile would fit perfectly at Wrigley Field. While Cease relies on strikeouts, Valdez is a pitch-to-contact guy whose 58.6 groundball rate in 2025 ranked third among starters with at least 100 innings pitched.

This would play well with the Cubs' infield full of gold-glove caliber defenders like Nico Hoerner, Dansby Swanson, and Matt Shaw. Valdez also rarely gives up home runs and still strikes out a lot of batters despite his high grouball rate (187 in 2025).

Cade Horton

The 2026 rotation will likely feature Cade Horton logging his first full season, who enjoyed a Rookie of the Year-caliber campaign last year. The 24-year-old finished his first MLB season with an impressive 2.67 ERA over 118 innings pitched, with 97 strikeouts and a 1.08 WHIP. Although Horton missed the playoffs with a rib injury, he made the case for being the team's de facto ace by the end of the regular season.

Justin Steele

The other main storyline will be Justin Steele's return from his elbow surgery. Steele only made four starts in 2025 before missing the rest of the season, and his projected return will be in the early part of the 2026 season. It's impossible to know if Steele will return to his former self.

But if he does, the Cubs' rotation would be mighty. Steele owns a career 3.30 ERA in the majors, and he was the team's most consistent starter for three seasons before his surgery. Steele returning to full speed with Horton, Valdez, and Cease would easily give the Cubs one of the most exciting starting rotations in baseball, capable of winning a World Series.

Jameson Taillon

Despite battling injuries in 2025, Jameson Taillon logged 23 starts, 129.2 innings, and a 3.68 ERA for the Cubs last year. With Horton on the shelf for the playoffs, Taillon was arguably the most dependable starter at the Cubs' disposal in October, and he will again be a key guy in 2026.

Taillon does struggle with the long ball quite often, but he has logged 39 quality starts since coming to the Cubs in 2023 (the most of any Cub in that timeframe). In his contract year, Taillon has the chance to pitch his way into another solid contract if he continues to stack solid outings like he has in the past.

In this hypothetical, the Cubs would have the flexibility to trade someone like Matthew Boyd or Colin Rea, giving them an opportunity to recover some of the draft pick losses involved with signing guys like Valdez and Cease.