4 areas of need the Chicago Cubs must invest in this winter

In the third full year of Jed Hoyer's "not-a-rebuild," the Chicago Cubs still have significant flaws and are likely to miss the postseason for their fourth straight year. Their last time playing October baseball came in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, and before that, they made a brief yet disappointing appearance in the Wild Card against the Rockies in 2018. It's been a frustrating stretch for fans and too long for a big market team of this caliber to accept another era of "retooling."

Friction is forming in the front office as Hoyer faces increased pressure to field a winning team in his final season under contract. 2025 will be make-or-break for him and the Cubs as they look to finally return to contention. They have solid pieces all around, but not enough consistency to hang with the great, or even the merely good teams in the National League throughout an entire season. Even with a bevy of impressive prospects knocking at the door like Owen Caissie, Cade Horton, and Matt Shaw, they'll have to make some strategic external additions to bring this team up to snuff.

Although the Cubs ended up above the luxury tax this year, they could have as much as $90 million coming off the books assuming Cody Bellinger opts out. That leaves room for upgrades across the board, even if they're not willing to approach the top of the market. Let's look at four spots that need the most attention in the offseason.

1. The starting rotation needs extra depth

As the old saying goes, you can never have enough pitching. The Cubs learned that first-hand this year as they dealt with injuries to nearly everyone from Justin Steele and Javier Assad to Jordan Wicks and Ben Brown. Although they have plenty of promising young starters waiting in the wings, they've all been prone to injuries and can't necessarily be trusted to immediately cover. Compounding that problem is Horton, their top pitching prospect whose 2024 season was essentially a wash.

This is all without considering the impending departure of Kyle Hendricks. The former World Series hero has struggled mightily this year with a 6.51 ERA, likely spelling the end of his Cubs tenure as he hits free agency. Steele and Shota Imanaga are a phenomenal pair at the top and Jameson Taillon has proven to be a solid middle-to-back end rotation piece, but past them and arguably Assad, there's some flexibility to play with.

A run at Corbin Burnes isn't likely given Hoyer's track record, but with an offseason so packed with pitching, there are options to add some depth to this group at a reasonable cost. Jack Flaherty was loosely connected to the Cubs at the trade deadline and would be a pricier, but intriguing option considering his 2.86 ERA thus far between the Dodgers and Tigers. Nathan Eovaldi, Walker Buehler, and Luis Severino all represent options that have high upside and valuable experience, yet could still take smaller deals for one reason or another.

Even if they don't shop in the luxury aisle, there's bound to be a quality pitcher who falls through the cracks that the Cubs can scoop up for extra depth. The rotation may have been a strength in 2024, but they should push for more in 2025.

3. The bullpen needs proven veterans

After the bullpen ran out of gas toward the end of 2023, there was hope that the Cubs would address the need with more surefire options in 2024. However, Jed Hoyer employed the same strategy and it once again blew up in their face early in the season. Early injuries to Adbert Alzolay and Yency Almonte combined with the struggles of Hector Neris, among other things, created an unstable situation that took most of the season to iron out.

While the bullpen has flipped the script with help from Porter Hodge (1.70 ERA), Jorge Lopez (2.19 ERA), and Tyson Miller (2.34 ERA), the Cubs still have the ninth most blown saves at 23. They can't afford another season waiting for things to fall in place and giving up crucial wins early. They'll still have a wealth of high-upside and/or optionable talent available through guys like Nate Pearson, Daniel Palencia, Luke Little, and Michael Arias, but with how volatile relievers can be, some certainty is vital.

One move they can make is re-signing Lopez. Hoyer pounced on the chance to pick up the right-hander after the Mets jettisoned him and he's looked comfortable pitching with Chicago. It's unlikely that the front office will change its tune about pursuing pricier, multi-year arms, but that doesn't mean they can't sign a couple of arms in or around the Neris bracket (1-year, $9 million) at least. There's always the trade market if they dare to use their wealth of prospects to go big-game hunting for someone like Mason Miller, however unlikely that is.

4. The Cubs have to land a big bat this offseason

Perhaps the biggest lesson Hoyer and company have to take away from this season is that this offense isn't going to cut it. The team has a middle-of-the-road 100 wRC+, though they've suffered through much worse stretches throughout the year. While upgrading at catcher is an obvious way to give a boost, it's not likely a position where they can add superstar-level production. It may take a trade to clear some space, but something major has to change before the 2025 season begins.

Rarely has there been a better time for the Cubs to go in big on a bat. This team is not that far from being a legitimate contender. They have a great core of complementary pieces with Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, Dansby Swanson, Michael Busch, and Nico Hoerner offering professional plate appearances. Pete Crow-Armstrong is blossoming into a star as we speak, giving them an otherworldly defender in center who could be a strong offensive contributor for years to come. For any holes that pop up or trades that need to be made, they have their top six prospects in Triple-A as well, with this year's first-round pick Cam Smith also quickly climbing the ranks.

As mentioned above, they'll have money to spend this year with expiring contracts to guys like Trey Mancini, Eric Hosmer, and, potentially, Bellinger. It's time they finally use that to bridge the gap that remains between them and the class of MLB. Juan Soto and his career 158 wRC+ should be that franchise hitter. Will it happen? Almost certainly not, but that doesn't mean we should stop banging that drum because it's absurd that this organization - the league's fourth most valuable team - continues to scoff at the top rung of free agency when it's the most obvious and logical way to upgrade the team at this time.

Instead, they'll be looking at the next couple of levels and the trade market for that bat. One standout is Anthony Santander who has blossomed into a fine power hitter with a 132 wRC+ and 40 long balls thus far this year. Pete Alonso has long been connected to Chicago, but he's a Scott Boras client and, if his contract starts with 2, it likely won't be Cubs blue he's wearing in the end. Whatever happens in the end, it's up to this team to find a way to put a more consistent offense on the field