Jed Hoyer says Cubs will direct majority of resources toward pitching

Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer announced that the team’s primary offseason objective will be upgrading the pitching staff following a postseason exit. The Cubs were swept in the Wild Card Series by the San Diego Padres, losing by a combined 12-1 margin across two contests.

Pitching Deficiencies Exposed Against the Padres

The Cubs surrendered 12 runs during their two-game sweep by San Diego, compounded by early home runs in Game 1 from Fernando Tatis and Manny Machado. Hoyer admitted fault for the bullpen’s struggles during his end-of-year news conference, stating, “I did a poor job in the bullpen this year, full stop.” The club finished the regular season having allowed 231 home runs, the highest total in the National League outside of the Oakland Athletics. Chicago arguably had the best offense and team defense in MLB while running out one of the worst pitching staffs, and their pitching staff ranked 23rd in strikeout rate.

Impending Roster Turnover Across the Rotation

Chicago faces significant turnover as multiple pitchers head toward free agency. Shota Imanaga, David Peterson, Kevin Gausman, and Matthew Boyd are set to hit the open market, though Boyd and Clay Holmes carry options. The rotation was also heavily impacted by injuries throughout the season. Justin Steele hasn’t pitched in an MLB game since April 2025 because of elbow surgery, Ben Brown dealt with a season-ending neck injury, and Cade Horton underwent Tommy John surgery in April and is looking at a second half return in the best scenario.

Offseason Acquisition Strategy

Hoyer stated that the organization will direct the great majority of its resources toward pitching acquisition. The front office is expected to monitor the market for starting pitchers and high-impact relievers while balancing impending decisions on position players such as Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ. The club aims to restructure a pitching infrastructure that Hoyer acknowledged has to get to the level of the position player group.