This description of the Cubs' starting rotation misses the mark by a mile

We headed into the offseason thinking that, while the Chicago Cubs probably weren't going to break the bank for Corbin Burnes, they just might pursue someone like Max Fried. But with Fried reportedly enjoying a high level of interest and tied to draft pick compensation, those dreams are long gone.

There's always a chance the Cubs shock us all and snag Roki Sasaki, but that's an uphill climb, as well. Behind Justin Steele and Shota Imanaga, Chicago needs to add a high-quality arm to the mix, which will only lengthen a starting rotation that was the unquestioned strength of the team last year.

Knowing that the starters were the biggest bright spot for the Cubs in 2024, imagine my surprise when, in a piece outlining 'Black Friday free-agent deal' for each team over at The Athletic (subscription required), Jack Flaherty was tied to Chicago because the team 'could use some more stability in the rotation'.

Chicago starters tied for fifth in all of Major League Baseball with a 3.77 ERA and saw Imanaga finish fifth in NL Cy Young voting after going 15-3 with a 2.91 ERA in 29 starts. Steele bounced back from an early-season hamstring injury to prove his 2023 breakout was no joke and Jameson Taillon showed no signs of shakiness, tossing 165 1/3 innings of 3.27 ERA ball behind them.

Injuries hurt the team's rotation depth, namely in the form of left-hander Jordan Wicks and rookie right-hander Ben Brown - but both are expected to be at 100 percent heading into spring training. Javier Assad continued to outperform the expected metrics and, although he definitely lost a step in the second half as he blew past career-high workloads, there's cause for optimism in him as a back-end starter or valuable swing man.

You could run that group back, with the odd man out heading to the bullpen, and things would be solid, if unspectacular. Stability isn't what this rotation lacks - it's another proven commodity to slot in behind their two big lefties who, in theory, is capable of taking the ball in a postseason series next October.

Stability is nice. But the Cubs need to have their sights set higher when looking for rotation upgrades this winter.