Time to worry? Regression from a critical Cubs' arm could be disastrous

With Cade Horton done for the year, Matthew Boyd out for at least the next month-plus and Justin Steele's return delayed until after the All-Star break, the Chicago Cubs' pitching depth has been pushed to the brink - and that's not even thinking about the laundry list of injuries that have hit the bullpen.

Despite being ravaged by injuries, the Cubs head into Monday's off-day as one of the top teams in all of baseball. But the team can ill afford any more losses on the pitching side. After his latest start, the early-season murmurs surrounding Edward Cabrera have grown louder and, while he may not be injured, there's cause for concern with the team's big offseason trade addition.

There are a lot of warning signs in Edward Cabrera's game right now

Not only is Cabrera's velocity down, but his spin efficiency is way down and his pitch shaping has taken a step in the wrong direction. He's worked through it, posting a 3.88 ERA through his first eight starts, but there seems to be a quickly-growing worry that his early season dominance could soon be little more than a distant memory.

In his latest start, which came this weekend against Texas, the right-hander allowed five earned runs on seven hits - including two home runs - as the Rangers handed him his first loss of the season. He's gotten decent chase, but guys are hitting him hard (Cabrera ranks in the bottom 12 percent of the league in barrel rate and bottom seven in average exit velo) and things seem to be trending in the wrong direction.

Shota Imanaga has been brilliant (and thankfully so, because it's nightmare fuel to think about where the Cubs would be without him) and Jameson Taillon gives the team a chance to win pretty much every time out. Colin Rea is a steady back-end piece filling in much the same as he did in 2025, but there's no doubt: this rotation needs Cabrera - and they need him to be at his best - as they weather these key injuries.

Hopefully, he starts to settle in and rediscover what made him such a sought-after trade target. He's at his best when he's able to get the swing-and-miss and it's really been missing in his recent starts, especially with his breaking ball.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow