The starting pitching market still has plenty of firepower left on the board, but so far this winter, only one major domino has fallen-Dylan Cease. That leaves a lot of opportunity for teams still looking to make a splash, and on paper, the Chicago Cubs should be one of them. But as we’ve seen in recent offseasons, what should happen and what does happen in Wrigleyville aren’t always the same thing.

Take Michael King, for example. The 30-year-old right-hander is drawing plenty of interest on the open market, despite coming off an injury-shortened 2025 season.

And that interest makes sense-he’s only a year removed from a breakout 2024 campaign that saw him finish seventh in NL Cy Young voting, racking up 201 strikeouts over 173 2/3 innings with a 2.95 ERA. That’s front-line production, and in a market where top-tier arms are still available, King is one of the more intriguing names out there.

The Cubs are certainly in the mix, but there’s a catch: reports suggest that “financial constraints” could hold them back from making a serious push for King. That’s the kind of phrase that hits a nerve in Chicago, especially with a fanbase that’s grown increasingly frustrated with ownership’s cautious approach to spending-particularly when the team is coming off its first postseason appearance of the decade.

The reaction was swift. Cubs fans, already wary of ownership’s priorities, didn’t hold back. Much of the frustration was aimed at team chairman Tom Ricketts, whose investments in the Wrigleyville neighborhood have become a symbol of the organization’s off-field ambitions-while the on-field product has, at times, lagged behind.

And to be fair, the skepticism isn’t unfounded. The Cubs play in a major market, with the resources to act like a heavyweight.

But over the past few years, their approach has leaned more toward calculated restraint than aggressive roster-building. That’s not to say they haven’t made moves-but the big swings fans crave have been few and far between.

Now, there is a scenario where passing on King might make some sense-if the money is being redirected toward a bigger move. Alex Bregman’s name continues to pop up in Cubs rumors, and if Chicago were to land him, it would be a significant statement.

Pair that with a trade for a controllable young starter like MacKenzie Gore, Joe Ryan, or Edward Cabrera, and suddenly the offseason looks a lot more ambitious. That kind of two-pronged approach-impact bat plus rotation upgrade-would go a long way in reshaping the narrative and reasserting the Cubs as serious contenders.

But if this winter turns into another case of bargain-bin shopping and hoping for bounce-back seasons, it’s going to be a tough sell. Especially after the team gave fans a taste of October baseball again.

Five playoff games at Wrigley Field reignited expectations-and rightfully so. The Cubs have a core worth building around, a fanbase that’s hungry, and a window that’s starting to open.

The question is whether ownership and the front office are ready to act like it.