Chicago Cubs early 2027 ranking provides ugly reality check

The ESPN ranking places the World Series champion Milwaukee Brewers at No. 1 and the Colorado Rockies dead last at No. 30. In their estimation, the Cubs rank closer to the Rockies than the Brewers. The online sports publication lists Chicago at a lowly No. 17.

Per David Schoenfield:

“The Cubs are the most difficult team to rank due to their long list of free agents — Holmes and Boyd will no doubt elect to test the market and seek multiyear deals. That basically means their entire rotation is either heading to free agency or returning from injury. They did lead the majors in runs scored, but Suzuki (5.1 WAR) and Happ (2.9 WAR) are key free agents. Did we mention the Cubs need a closer?

There is money to spend to make some signings — Skubal is certainly the perfect fit here — but bringing back Suzuki and Happ plus signing Skubal and finding a closer is a heavy lift. Chicago will eventually climb these rankings once it finds more help for Pete Crow-Armstrong, but the front office might be under more pressure than any other as the offseason kicks off.”

Not just needy for pitching

The Cubs’ need for pitching is the most obvious storyline of this offseason. They’ll be losing their entire end-of-season starting rotation to free agency—and the starters they have left are full of question marks and concerns. Their need for bullpen help, especially in the back-end of the pen, is a need as well.

But they’re also going to need a way to replace the free agent Seiya Suzuki’s bat in the lineup, as well as the expertise of left fielder Ian Happ and catcher Carson Kelly, who are also heading off into free agency.

The position player nucleus of the team is strong. Pete Crow-Armstrong, Alex Bregman, Dansby Swanson, Nico Hoerner, and Michael Busch make up a very strong base for a winning team. Utility men Matt Shaw and Pedro Ramirez, along with catcher Miguel Amaya represent a strong second tier. The pitching staff is also not without its assets and positive possibilities.

But, yeah, there are a lot of holes and weak spots up and down this roster. Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer and the front office have a lot of heavy lifting to do this offseason. The great pessimism in the Cubs being able to get everything lined up right for a successful 2027 is very much warranted.