Chicago Cubs Projected to Make Questionable $84 Million Move

The Chicago Cubs enter the offseason with a clear mandate to rebuild their starting rotation.

Injuries and inconsistency plagued the staff throughout 2026, leaving the club thin behind a handful of reliable arms and exposed in the postseason.

With several veterans headed to free agency and the front office openly prioritizing pitching, Chicago must decide whether to chase proven upside or settle for more modest reinforcements.

That calculation puts right-hander Freddy Peralta squarely on the radar, even as his uneven performance this season invites skepticism.

Christopher Kline of FanSided recently projected that the Cubs will land Peralta on a four-year, $84 million deal worth $21 million annually.

Kline framed the move as a logical fit for a contender in need of innings, noting that Peralta could slot in alongside the returning Cade Horton and Justin Steele to stabilize a rotation that struggled to hold leads late in the year.

From Wrigley Field’s perspective, the appeal is straightforward: Peralta is only 30, carries a track record of swing-and-miss stuff from his Milwaukee days, and would not require the massive commitment attached to the market’s true aces.

Yet the projection rests on a generous reading of 2026. Peralta posted a 4.42 ERA across 169 innings, a sharp decline from his strong 2025 campaign.

The bulk of the damage came during his early months with the Mets, where he was hammered for a 4.99 ERA in 22 starts before a deadline trade to Tampa Bay.

He gradually improved in September and has looked sharper in the postseason, but the overall body of work shows diminished strikeout rates, elevated hard contact, and an inability to work deep into games with consistency.

For a Cubs team that already absorbed underwhelming results from midseason additions, committing multi-year money to a pitcher coming off that kind of regression feels like a risk rather than a solution.

Chicago’s front office has shown a willingness to bet on pitchers who can rebound under the right conditions, and Peralta’s late-season uptick with the Rays offers a thin foundation for optimism.

Still, the Cubs’ broader needs—length, reliability, and a clearer path to October—suggest they should be cautious about overpaying for a mid-rotation arm whose peak may already be behind him.

If the market cools and a shorter deal becomes available, the fit improves.

At the projected price, however, Peralta represents more of a gamble than a surefire upgrade for a club that can ill afford another season of rotation instability.