One of the tenets of Jed Hoyer, and Theo Epstein before him, while running the Chicago Cubs was to compete for multiple championships. The only way to do this is to consistently make the playoffs. With their last appearance in 2020, it has been a bit of a drought for the Cubs as of late. So the question becomes, are the Cubs a team competing for a playoff spot, or a team planning on making the playoffs? Based on their offseason moves, the latter seems to be the mentality for those at Clark and Addison. But who is the most indispensable player who will lead them to October?
Cody Bellinger just re-signed for $30 million with options for two more years. Japanese pitcher Shota Imanaga signed a four-year deal for $53 million. Hector Neris was signed for $9 million to sure up the bullpen. Add these to an already solid core of Dansby Swanson, Nico Hoerner, Ian Happ, and Seiya Suzuki and there is no doubt the Cubs are trying to do more than just win the division. Cap this with a new $40 million+ manager in Craig Counsell, anything short of a division title will be a disappointment.
All of these pieces will be key if the Cubs are to return to the playoffs for the first time since the pandemic ended. However, if one player had to be chosen as the most indispensable player for the team, a strong argument can be made for a player that hasn’t even been mentioned yet – Justin Steele.
Justin Steele Indispensable for Cubs
Why Steele and Not Someone Else?
Steele is coming off of a year where he had a 3.8 WAR, a team-leading 16 wins, and an ERA just over 3.00. He is what every team needs. He is an ace, a stopper, a pitcher who the team can count on every fifth day. When a losing streak starts, Steele has to be counted on to stop it. When he is on, Steele stands on par with any starting pitcher in the major leagues. He is coming off an All-Star season where he finished in the top 5 in Cy Young voting. Entering the final three weeks of the season, Steele was 16-3, winning seven straight decisions.
Part of the reason the Cubs faltered down the stretch last season (going 7-15 in the last 22 games) was because Steele was no longer an ace. He dropped his last two decisions, and in his final three starts, he gave up 15 earned runs in less than 15 innings. Steele has the ability to pitch deep into ballgames, giving up less than three runs routinely. In his 30 starts last season, Steele recorded 23 quality starts where he pitched at least six innings and gave up three or fewer runs. Even more so than some of the offensive pieces, the Cubs were in the division race for so long largely because of Justin Steele’s performance.
What About Bellinger, Swanson, or Happ?
One could certainly make the case that one of the Cubs’ position players is more indispensable. The focus of the entire offseason was the status of Cody Bellinger. Now, with his bat back in the lineup and his defensive versatility at first and in center, his value to the team doesn’t go unappreciated. But even with Bellinger, the Cubs would need more offense to make his value full for the ballclub.
The same goes for last off-season’s big signing, Dansby Swanson. Make no mistake, one of the main reasons the Cubs are so good defensively is because of the way Swanson anchors the middle of the diamond. Add to this his offense, and Swanson merits the contract he signed. But even with this, a top-of-the-line starter in Steele remains more valuable.
Even though he has starred in the middle of the lineup, Ian Happ has few memories of being clutch throughout his Cubs career. It’s not to say he isn’t a big piece, just not necessarily indispensable. All three of these players are solid and will be integral pieces to any success the team has. However, nothing will be more indispensable this summer at Wrigley Field than dominance out of an ace…and that person is Justin Steele.
More must-reads: