Struggles of Cubs’ offseason additions a major reason for their spiral

After the 2018 Cubs season, it was hard not to point to their offseason moves as a big reason they failed to live up to expectations. Granted, that was a 95-win team, but the Cubs quickly fizzled down the stretch, losing Game 163 to the Milwaukee Brewers and the Wild Card Game to the Colorado Rockies.

And their primary additions the previous winter did not have the impact the organization had hoped. Yu Darvish was the big splash for the front office. The Cubs added Brandon Morrow to close out games, and Tyler Chatwood was their upside play to the rotation.

Morrow was brilliant for half a season but got injured just before the All-Star break and never pitched in the big leagues again. Chatwood struggled all season with a disturbingly high walk rate and never worked out as a starter for Chicago. Darvish eventually found his rhythm the following season. His first year, though, was a disappointment, with poor performance and injuries sidetracking him.

It’s not quite at that level yet, but the moves the Cubs made before the 2026 season have not gone as hoped. Fans have been begging the team for years to be aggressive and complete a full offseason. But 65 games into the campaign, what looked like the Cubs’ desired path for the winter has not turned into success on the field.

Below is a look at four players who were added or retained in the offseason and are struggling early on. All stats are before Tuesday’s 7-3 loss to the Colorado Rockies.

Alex Bregman

Bregman was the major addition of the winter. The news of his five-year, $175 million deal broke shortly before Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears completed a stunning comeback win against the Green Bay Packers in the playoffs. It seemed like an epic night in Chicago sports history.

But even Bregman will tell you that, to this point, his production has not been close to good enough. Bregman is striking out below league average, but his 17.2% rate is the highest since his rookie season. He has a 93 wRC+, and most glaringly, his .099 ISO puts him among the least powerful everyday players in the game.

He’s swinging at pitches in the zone lower than ever before and making less contact than he ever has. With runners in scoring position, Bregman has a woeful 22 wRC+, and his strikeout rate jumps to 22.6%. There are plenty of data points to lament. Ultimately, nothing about his offensive output adds up to a player the Cubs envisioned when making him the centerpiece of their offseason.

Edward Cabrera

The Cubs had been targeting Cabrera for over a year when they finally acquired him this past January. They’ve been enamored of his potential, and all spring, they trumpeted how they felt they’d added a pitcher who was about to take off.

That hasn’t been the case. The Cubs needed to add velocity and swing-and-miss to their rotation. Cabrera’s stuff is still impressive, but it’s down overall; his fastballs are down a full tick from last season. His four-seamer is at the lowest of his career, at 95.9 mph, and his sinker, at 96 mph, is the lowest it’s been since 2022.

Cabrera also has a 21.5% strikeout rate, over 4 percentage points below his career average. Cubs pitchers are lucky to have some of the best defenders in baseball behind them, but Cabrera is giving up 1.72 home runs per nine innings, which would put him eighth-worst in baseball if he were eligible. His ground ball rate is also at 44%, the lowest it’s been since his rookie season.

The good news is the stuff ticked up significantly in his return from the injured list last Friday against the San Francisco Giants. The bad news is that he got tattooed for eight runs in 3 2/3 innings.

Phil Maton

Relievers are always a risk. They’re the most volatile players in baseball, their performance often swinging wildly from season to season. That’s why team president Jed Hoyer has avoided handing out multiyear deals to relievers in previous offseasons.

But Maton was someone the group identified early in the process. The Cubs felt strongly that by giving him a two-year, $14.5 million deal, they’d be getting a steal when all the other relievers had come off the board. That certainly hasn’t been the case.

Maton has a 7.08 ERA, and his strikeout rate (23.7%) is 9 percentage points below last season’s. He’s also walking 11.3% of the batters he has faced. Lefties in particular are crushing him, slashing .313/.395/.688 against him on the season.

Maton hit the IL earlier with a knee issue, hoping the stint would help him add the velocity he’d gained last season. But his cutter, a key part of his arsenal, is down a full tick at 89.4 mph. He has also lost confidence in his curveball, his best offering. By the numbers, the sweeper is performing significantly worse, but Maton relies on his curveball to get through righties and doesn’t seem to know where it’s going.

Shota Imanaga

Technically not a free-agent signing, Imanaga counts on this list because the Cubs came into the offseason thinking they might need to add two starters. But after a series of contract triggers that led to his potentially becoming a free agent, Imanaga decided to accept the qualifying offer.

Early in the season, it looked like not picking up the three-year, $57.75 million option they had was a mistake for the Cubs. Imanaga’s velocity was up, and through nine starts, he was sporting a 2.32 ERA with a really strong 28% strikeout rate.

But everything has fallen apart since. In his last four starts, Imanaga has given up 26 runs and allowed 12 home runs. It’s been an utter disaster, as his ERA has risen to 4.74, sixth-worst in baseball among eligible pitchers.

It’s not unusual for a team to miss on players in the offseason. Rarely does a front office strike gold on every player it signs. The Cubs have had some successes, including adding reliever Jacob Webb. But for the most part, they have whiffed on the major additions they made this past winter.

All is not lost. There are 96 games to be played. Bregman is a notorious slow starter and, as mentioned, Cabrera’s stuff was up in his last outing. Relievers are a fickle beast, and it wouldn’t be a shock if Maton turns things around. Imanaga’s stuff is still better than at the end of last season, so some corrections could get him right.

That’s the positive view. And right now, Cubs fans might be short on optimism. This team, once the toast of the North Side, has lost all goodwill in a short period of time. If a handful of these players don’t turn it around in short order, things could sink even lower for this group as the season plods along.

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