Craig Counsell reveals massive Justin Steele update

While speaking to the media at the 2025 Winter Meetings, Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell gave an idea of when we should expect to see Justin Steele back on the mound.

“I mean, nothing has changed. It’s not going to be Opening Day and I really don’t want to speculate, kinda until we get to spring training to see where he’s at. I think we’ll know in spring training kinda a target area of dates there. But it’s not going to be Opening Day, but I think it will be the first half of the season.”

This is something that has been widely discussed as George Ofman reported that a source told him it would not be until September that Steele would return. Steele was only able to pitch in four games last season as he finished 3-1 with a 4.76 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP over 22.2 innings. Steele is a significant part of what the future rotation looks like for Chicago, so him being 100% is critical. He underwent season-ending UCL surgery in his left elbow in April, so it will be interesting to see when he begins rehabbing his elbow injury and throwing off a mound.

The Chicago Cubs are looking to add another starting pitcher this offseason

The Chicago Cubs had one of the top rotations statistically last season, finishing eighth in ERA, but they are seeing some changes to their rotation. They have already seen Nate Pearson and Michael Soroka leave for other teams as free agents while names like Aaron Civale and Brad Keller are still unrestricted free agents. The team has been linked to Zac Gallen this offseason, but overall are looking to figure out how to keep improving.

With Justin Steele missing the opening of the season, below is the projected starting rotation right now:

• Matthew Boyd
• Cade Horton
• Shota Imanaga
• Jameson Taillon
• Colin Rea

This is going to be intriguing to see how they do, but they have some flaws. The starters listed do not have much swing-and-miss stuff, so getting a starter who can record strikeouts should be a priority. The Cubs need to make sure the pitching continues to improve as the lineup figures out possibly life without Kyle Tucker.