Former Cubs first-rounder may have found his path to a breakthrough

Since being taken in the first round of the 2021 MLB Draft, Jordan Wicks has looked the part of an MLB starting pitcher. He's never had an issue carving up minor-league hitters with an advanced changeup, and his command has always been above average.

And yet, despite various changes and alterations to his arsenal, the 26-year-old southpaw just can't get over the hump. He's pitched to a 5.21 ERA (4.79 FIP) in 95 career innings at the highest level, consistently struggling to get hitters out multiple times through the order.

Thus, he went back to the lab this offseason, committed to altering whatever he could to gain the edge. Speaking to The Athletic's Sahadev Sharma, Wicks said that he went to Tread Athletics with the goal of improving everything.

“The main reason for going there was to become more efficient mechanically,” Wicks said. “We felt that some of the stuff I was doing mechanically was adding stress to the obliques and hamstrings. So we just tried to make it easier on my body and also more efficient to help the velocity. I wanted to be able to maintain the increased velocity I had last year.”

Alongside a few pitch-grip changes — his curveball is now better designed to land in the zone, while his sinker was introduced to more seam-shifted wake — are these changes finally enough to help Wicks thrive in the big leagues?

Jordan Wicks facing final stand with Cubs in 2026

While the mechanical changes should help Wicks stay healthier moving forward, consistency will determine his role with the Cubs moving forward.

He's fluctuated between strong starts and blow-up outings throughout his career. In 2025 alone, Wicks allowed nine runs in 3.0 innings between two appearances on April 18 and July 11. In his six other appearances, he allowed one earned run in 11 1/3 innings. It's just hard to trust a starting pitcher who isn't great at mitigating damage when he's off.

Of course, one factor working against Wicks is that, at long last, the Cubs are actually replete with rotation depth at the major-league level. Their starting five is currently comprised of Shota Imanaga, Matthew Boyd, Cade Horton, Edward Cabrera, and Jameson Taillon, and that's before accounting for Justin Steele, Javier Assad, Colin Rea, Ben Brown, and top prospect Jaxon Wiggins. Wicks may have a leg up on those latter two by virtue of being a lefty who's on the 40-man roster, but a lot would have to go wrong for him to be making key starts down the stretch.

Hence why he's been floated as a trade candidate this offseason. The talent is undeniable, but opportunities may be running dry in Chicago. If these new pitch grips lead to a more consistent version of Wicks, the Cubs would be wise to keep him around in case any emergencies pop up, but the leash will be short.