The Chicago Cubs are running out of arms. Literally. Twelve pitchers are currently on the injured list, and manager Craig Counsell isn’t exactly lining up to make a big trade to fix it. That’s the reality he laid out over the weekend, and it’s not what fans want to hear with the team sitting 45-38 and second in the NL Central.
The Cubs already made one move, grabbing David Peterson from the Mets in a trade. But that was before the injury list started looking like a roster itself. Among the guys on the shelf: Edward Cabrera, Ben Brown, Justin Steele, Jameson Taillon, Cade Horton, Hoby Milner, and others. That’s a lot of quality arms just gone.
What Counsell Actually Said About Acquisitions
When asked if the Cubs might go out and get another pitcher, Counsell basically shrugged and pointed to the waiver wire. According to The Athletic, here’s what he said: “Look around the league, acquisitions don’t happen every day. They happen on waivers, maybe, every day. That’s about it.” So if you’re waiting for a headline-grabbing trade to save the rotation, you might be waiting a while.
He didn’t sugarcoat the depth problem either. “The cumulative effect is you just start running out of pitchers in your organization that are ready to go,” Counsell said. “We have, obviously, bodies. But the quality has to go down. We don’t have that big of a stockpile. I don’t think anybody does. So we’re going to have to get through it. We’ll keep looking for guys that can do the job.”
That’s not exactly a vote of confidence. It’s more like a realistic assessment from a manager who knows the farm system can’t just keep churning out big-league-ready arms on command. The Cubs are essentially hoping their offense can carry them until some of these guys heal up.
When Do These Guys Come Back?
That’s the million-dollar question. No firm timetables on most of these pitchers, and with the All-Star break approaching, the Cubs have to decide whether they’re buyers or sellers. They’re six and a half games back of the Brewers in the division, so it’s not impossible to close that gap. But you need healthy pitchers to do it.
After Sunday’s game against Milwaukee, the Cubs head to San Diego for a three-game set with the Padres. That’s a tough matchup for a team running on fumes in the bullpen and rotation. The offense has been decent enough, but baseball is still about pitching. And right now, the Cubs just don’t have enough of it.
Counsell’s comments suggest the front office isn’t panicking. But they also suggest there’s no cavalry coming. At least not from outside the organization. The Cubs will have to patch this thing together with what they’ve got and hope the IL clears up before the season slips away entirely.
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