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Chicago had one of the deepest pitching staffs, with numerous options, although it lacked top-level arms.

Heading into the winter with several key pitching and hitting free agents, the Cubs will need to find a way to keep their depth while also upgrading it.

At the general managers’ meetings, president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer laid out the focus for the transactional period.

“We have a lot of position players, so our biggest focus this offseason will be bolstering the rotation and bullpen,” Hoyer said, according to Robert Murray of FanSided.

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The Cubs have Shota Imanaga, their ace from last season, as a free agent whose qualifying offer has been extended. Chicago will have to choose whether to keep him.

There are some top-of-the-line talents available on the market. Framber Valdez and Dylan Cease highlight a solid class of starting pitchers.

Both of these workhouses have either elite stuff — as is the case with Cease — or they manage to get outs at a high clip — like Valdez.

They each have their flaws, but they present a good deal of upside, and paired with another high-end arm, they could form a devastating one-two punch.

If the Cubs are feeling bold, they could consider Tatsuya Imai, the Japanese pitcher who is unproven in MLB but boasts a long track record of success in Asia.

He has managed to stay healthy, throws a fastball that can reach 99 mph, and possesses a versatile pitch mix. Last season, he had a 1.92 ERA over 163.2 innings.

Additionally, in the trade market, Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal may be available, who could be a significant boon to their pitching staff and potentially be the missing piece to a deep playoff run.

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