How the Cubs are building the core for their next playoff contender

By the end of the season, the Cubs finally had Adbert Alzolay, Justin Steele and Keegan Thompson back in the clubhouse together — the three pitchers at the frontline of refurbishing the club’s reputation for developing pitching.

The core of that “next great Cubs team” is poised to be centered on pitching. And in the midst of an unpredictable postseason with a new format, the playoffs have made one thing clear: the importance of homegrown talent.

Take the two teams headed to the World Series, for example. Besides the Astros’ 2017 sign-stealing scandal, the club is best known for its player development, which has kept its championship window open long after the Cubs’ snapped shut.

The Phillies had the opposite reputation in recent years. But this season, homegrown players Alec Bohm, Bryson Stott, Matt Vierling and Seranthony Dominguez have helped power the team’s postseason success.

“When the series gets shortened, certainly you don’t have to have a perfect team to win in the postseason,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said after the season. “We’ve seen that year after year. But our goal has to be higher. Our goal has to be to create one of those teams that you feel like has the best chance in October.”

Aggressive trades and signings put the finishing touches on those teams, but homegrown talent builds the foundation.

The last rebuild notoriously was missing homegrown pitching. Even for Alzolay and Steele, development wasn’t a straight line because of injuries.

When Craig Breslow took over the leadership of the pitching department in the fall of 2019, however, the trio was poised to compete at upper levels of the farm system — or in the majors, in Alzolay’s case.

Breslow’s influence as the Cubs overhauled their pitching department has garnered praise from colleagues throughout the organization. This past season, another wave of young pitchers arrived: Caleb Kilian, Javier Assad and Hayden Wesneski (whom the Cubs acquired from the Yankees for homegrown reliever Scott Effross). All three made their MLB debuts.

The next question is what roles Thompson, Alzolay and Steele will take. Steele has been a starter for the Cubs since August 2021. Thompson and Alzolay, on the other hand, also have served as multi-inning relievers.

“We’ll see what happens,” said Thompson, who posted a 1.47 ERA as a reliever but also steadied the rotation in late June, when it was reeling from injuries to veterans, with a string of dominant performances that secured his spot. “I hope it’s a starting role, but we’ll have to wait and see what kind of acquisitions we make in the offseason and just see how spring goes.”

Alzolay has been forced into a relief role since late last season because of injuries. But it could prove to be the best fit to keep him healthy and maximize his effectiveness against right-handed hitters. Alzolay plans to build up as a starter leading into spring training.

“But the option coming out of the bullpen is still there,” he said. “To be honest, I really like it. I really like that ‘long guy in a high-intensity situation’ role.”

The foundation is being poured. What’s in store for this offseason? Hoyer was hesitant to promise a top-of-the rotation starter, calling into question how the term should be defined.

“We’re actively looking for quality innings,” he said, “pitchers we feel like we can work with and potentially make better.”

Hoyer emphasized the need for depth. When the injury-hobbled rotation struggled early in the season, it was clear the Cubs were lacking it. But in the second half, Cubs starters posted a 2.89 ERA, trailing only the playoff-bound Dodgers and Astros.

That late success is not an invitation to sit back, nor does the club see it that way.

“As far as the future of the rotation,” Steele said, “if you go and add a top-of-the-line arm to what we already have, you can see something really special unfold.”