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The Chicago Cubs are enduring a nightmare start to the 2026 season. On the field, the club is currently sitting at the bottom of the National League Central division. While there is still obviously plenty of time to turn things around on the field, Chicago is facing deeper issues.

Former All-Star starting pitcher Justin Steele entered the current campaign on the injured list. The 2023 Cy Young Candidate is recovering from significant elbow surgery. Although his recovery is going well, and he is throwing side sessions in Arizona, Steele is not expected to return for some time. He is officially eligible to pitch in the big leagues on May 24.

Along with Steele, the Cubs are also currently without fellow starters Matthew Boyd and Cade Horton. The duo was expected to be Chicago’s top two pitchers in the rotation for the season. Boyd was placed on the injured list with a bicep strain on April 6. The issue, however, is not expected to keep him out of action long. Horton, on the other hand, will miss the entire 2026 campaign due to a serious UCL injury.

Despite being down multiple key starters, the Cubs will likely resist making a major trade to acquire a new pitcher. General manager Carter Hawkins revealed on April 8 that Chicago will instead address the situation internally. “The most likely thing, in the short term, is within the organization,” Hawkins said recently, as reported by The Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma.

Carter Hawkins Hints Chicago Cubs Will Give Fringe Players a Chance

GettyJavier Assad filled in well for Boyd during a recent Cubs appearance.

According to the Cubs exec, the team is willing to look at the market, yet trades so early in the season are fairly rare. “In April, it’s difficult to make moves like that,” Hawkins continued. “But at the same time, we’ll obviously keep our lines in the water. You never know what opportunities might come up. But right now, I would focus on the guys internally.”

Despite the exec’s comments, Chicago’s options at the moment are seemingly thin. Javier Assad was recently recalled from AAA Iowa by the Cubs to take Boyd’s place in the rotation. The veteran previously performed fairly well for Chicago in recent years. He also looked sharp in his first start with the Cubs against the Tampa Bay Rays on April 7.

Outside of Assad, Jordan Wicks and Kyle Wright may become options in the future, but both are also recovering from setbacks. Jaxon Wiggins, Chicago’s top pitching prospect, could be called on as well. Sharma, however, believes that the phenom still has work to do and may not be ready until late summer. Wiggins has a 5.63 ERA across two starts with Iowa so far this season.

Cubs Could Eventually Target Top Free Agent Pitcher

Although Hawkins may not be able to make a major trade, he could opt to sign a free agent such as Lucas Giolito. The Chicago Cubs have been urged to target the former All-Star pitcher in recent days. Despite putting up solid statistics with the Boston Red Sox in 2025, Giolito remains available.

Chicago could very well sign the star veteran in the coming days. Nevertheless, the team is likely to wait and see if their internal options pan out first. The move could, however, backfire. Several clubs, including the Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres, have also been linked with Giolito recently.

Christopher Moore Christopher Moore has been a Heavy.com contributor since 2025. With over a decade of experience in the industry, he has published thousands of articles reporting on multiple professional sports. He was previously a sports writer for World Soccer Talk, the Yahoo! Contributor Network, and the Maryland Sports Blog. More about Christopher Moore