The Cubs two-year, $29MM deal with became official earlier today, locking in the veteran southpaw as the newest member of the Wrigleyville rotation. Even with this signing now on the books, report that the Cubs remain open to adding more starting pitching, and is still on their radar. Boyd lines up as Chicagos fourth starter, behind , , and . is the favorite for the fifth starter role, with the likes of , , and also in the mix for starts, plus top prospect also on the verge of his MLB debut. While this seems like plenty of depth already, the you can never have enough pitching mantra may apply, as Wicks, Brown, and Horton all mi sed a lot of time in 2024 due to injuries. Acquiring yet another experienced starter via trade or free agency would allow the Cubs to make A sad its top depth arm, and it can be argued that A sad is overqualified for such a role given his solid 3.40 ERA over his 294 career Major League innings. Since injuries are basically inevitable, however, it stands to reason that A sad would still get some degree of rotation work. Beyond A sad, one of the other pitchers could potentially become a trade chip if the Cubs feel secure in the number of starters on hand. The Cubs havent exactly been pinching pennies on the rotation during Reese Moore Jersey Jed Hoyers time as president of baseball operations, considering Taillons four-year, $68MM deal and Imanagas four-year, $53MM deal. However, Chicago has trended away from shopping at the very top of the pitching market to instead pursue more mid-range or shorter-term contracts like Taillon, Imanaga, Boyd, or (in the past) or . Buehler would also likely fall into this category, as it is widely a sumed that the righty will sign a one-year pact as something of a pillow contract in the wake of a disappointing 2024 season. While that disappointment was certainly tempered by a couple of great postseason outings and a championship ring with the Dodgers, Buehlers regular season saw him post a 5.38 ERA with a host of below-average secondary metrics over 75 1/3 innings. Since Buehler didnt pitch at all in 2023 while recovering from Tommy John surgery, it seems po sible that he could perform better in 2025 now that he has shaken off the rust. The baseball world hasnt forgotten how dynamic Buehler looked prior to that TJ procedure, and this kind of upside potential has led to interest from not just the Cubs, but also such publicly known suitors as the Braves, Yankees, Mets, and Athletics. As Mooney and Sharma note, it shouldnt be considered a lock that Buehler will receive just a one-year contract, given how several pitchers have already exceeded expectations in the first month of free agency. As such, Mooney/Sharma feel the Cubs could prefer to avoid the free agent market and instead pivot to adding a starter (or a reliever, or lineup help) in a trade. News on that front might not develop until signs, which would then perhaps clear the Cubs path in terms of finding a potential trade partner for or . Rett Andersen Jersey