The Chicago Cubs have a flawed 25-man roster. They lack a true top of the rotation starter, and their bullpen is oddly constructed at present. The top-heavy nature of their 40-man roster means they won’t get better from within. If they don’t sign a top free agent pitcher, are they still a lock for the NL Central title?
How does the starting pitching stack up?
The Cubs have an odd mix in their rotation. Jon Lester, Jose Quintana, and Kyle Hendricks will need to gobble up 600 innings each. Newly added Tyler Chatwood and ‘5th Starter X’ need to do better than John Lackey and their Three-headed fifth starter monster from last year.