Game 2 of the World Series is further proof the Cubs need to invest in a big arm

The Chicago Cubs' October run drew to a close due, at least in part, to a lack of impact starting pitching. Granted, the rotation would have looked dramatically different had Justin Steele and Cade Horton been healthy, but this is a team that's lacked a high-dollar ace since the days of Jon Lester - and his Cubs career drew to a close in 2020.

The team is rumored to be eyeing rotation upgrades this winter - and there are multiple avenues Jed Hoyer could go to shore up the staff, from re-visiting trade talks from this summer to flexing some financial muscle, again something we haven't seen from Chicago of late, the Dansby Swanson signing aside.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Kevin Gausman show the importance of big arms

Saturday's Game 2 of the World Series laid the importance of starting pitching bare as Kevin Gausman and Yoshinobu Yamamoto traded blows in an eventual 5-2 Los Angeles Dodgers' victory.

Of course, Yamamoto, the Dodgers' $325 million man, took center stage, tossing his second complete game of the postseason. But don't discount what Gausman delivered for Toronto, keeping the Jays in the game right up until a pair of solo shots in the seventh tilted the scales in LA's favor.

The veteran right-hander has been brilliant in October for Toronto, posting a 2.55 ERA through four starts and a relief appearance. That comes on the heels of a career-high 193 frames of work in the regular season, in which he posted a 3.42 ERA and 1.062 WHIP. In the second-to-last season of the five-year, $110 million deal he signed with the Jays, Gausman has been remarkably consistent, averaging 183 innings of 3.14 FIP baseball per season.

A hard truth? Chicago doesn't have that caliber of pitcher on the roster right now. Sure, maybe Horton continues to develop and becomes a bona fide ace for years to come, and Steele's return could be huge. But the Cubs need to invest in the top of the rotation - regardless of what they do with Shota Imanaga. We're seeing firsthand the importance of big arms in October in this year's World Series, and it's clear this team needs to raise the bar heading into 2026.