Chicago Cubs: 3 points of concern for the playoff-bound Cubbies

The top three contenders for postseason rotation spots are easy to identify– Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga, and Cade Horton. The big question, though, is who will get the start in the first game of the Wild Card series.

Boyd, who is in his first full season since Tommy John surgery and posting his highest inning total since 2019, has been struggling of late. Over his last seven outings, he has a 5.09 ERA and there are legitimate concerns that the inning strain may be getting to him.

Imanaga, who has a 4.29 ERA over his last eight starts, has no major league postseason experience, but may have the freshest arm, since he lost nearly two months earlier in the season with a hamstring injury.

Horton, meanwhile, is a rookie with a history of injury, who has already logged more innings pitched this season than over the course of his entire professional career, combined. He has definitely excelled, especially since the All-Star break, but there’s been plenty of internal concern regarding his durability.

Beyond the top three, there are capable veterans Jameson Taillon and Colin Rea, who will get their time on the mound, but will have greater roles if/when the Cubs make it past the three-game first round.

Offensive rebound

No matter what the pitching does in the postseason, if the Cubs don’t have their offense kicking in, the likelihood of a one-and-done playoff appearance is high. Kyle Tucker appears to have, at least partially, clawed his way out of the career-worst slump that cost him nearly two months of offensive productivity. Still in the doldrums are Pete Crow-Armstrong and Seiya Suzuki, who need to be key offensive contributors for the team to fire on all cylinders. If Chicago can get back to being anywhere near as proficient at scoring runs as they were in the first part of the season, they could have a very deep run in the playoffs. But that’s a huge “if.”

Daniel Palencia

Many criticized the Cubs front office when they didn’t pull the trigger on a trade for a potential co-closer at this year’s trade deadline. At the time, the team seemed fine with Daniel Palencia in that role. He definitely looked as close to unhittable as humanly possible since being called up from Triple-A in mid-April, sporting a 1.40 ERA with 14 saves at the July 31 deadline.

But the 25-year-old Palencia has never been a full-time closer and has never felt the kind of pressure that comes along with that role, especially at the postseason-level. A troubling 5.23 ERA in the month of August seems to tell the tale of a pitcher starting to wilt under the late-season strain. And, although the Cubs have an all-around capable bullpen, nobody is truly elite-level closer material.

So, yes, there’s reason for optimism as the Cubs make their first playoff run since 2020, but there’s also a lot to think about and/or worry about as the postseason approaches.