Boyd, Steele, and Imanaga headline Cubs’ lefty report card |
Dustin Riese
· · 3 hours ago
There is no question that the 2025 Chicago Cubs season was a roller coaster filled with ups and downs. As many downs as there were at times, there were way more ups, as most fans would say this season was an overall success despite not achieving all of their goals.
They may not have won the World Series or the division, but they still wound up winning 92 games, making the playoffs, and even winning a playoff series, which is all you can ask for from a franchise. When you look back at the season, the starting pitching was the strength of this team, and that has to be a breath of fresh air if you are a fan of this team. Sure, there were times when the starting pitching struggled, as is the case for everyone, but those struggles were few and far between, as the Cubs wouldn't be in the position they were in without the performance of their starters. Keep in mind that they were down to three starters at one point in the season, and it shows just how much depth this team had accumulated during the season. That depth paid off in a big way. With the positional report cards now over, it's time to focus on the starting pitching, as today is part one of the starting pitcher grades. We decided to break the starters down into two groups: the lefties and the righties, as it will be the lefties who get center stage today:
When you look back at all the signings from 2025, Matthew Boyd could go down as the steal of the offseason. Signed to a two-year, $29 million deal, the veteran lefty was expected to come to Chicago to help anchor the back end of the rotation as the Cubs were banking on his injury history being behind him. Not only did the injuries appear behind him, but Boyd was everything and more for the Cubs as he emerged as the Cubs' Ace in the first half of the season to earn an All-Star berth before starting to tire out down the stretch. Still, with a 14-8 record (12-1 at home) to go with a 3.21 ERA, Boyd was well worth the investment as the Cubs needed his arm in 2025. Grade A: It's hard to deny that Boyd was arguably the Cubs' most consistent pitcher most of the season before fading at the end of the year. That was to be expected when you look at the innings he logged compared to the innings he threw most of his career, but the bottom line is that Boyd proved he could stay healthy and be a front-line starter. What stood out the most this season was Boyd's ability to win at home, as his 12 wins were the most home wins in baseball among starters. That alone helped the Cubs set up their playoff rotation, where Boyd made two home starts, allowing just two runs in eight innings, which is all you can ask for. Now, it becomes a question of whether or not he can duplicate that success or if this season was a one-year fluke.
Since the second half of the 2023 season, Justin Steele has been the Ace of the Cubs staff as he has started to resemble Jon Lester when you look at how he pitches. Known as a two-pitch guy, it's impressive how much success Steele can have with only two pitchers, as he does a great job of locating and changing speeds to keep hitters off balance. Hoping to continue his recent run of success that has seen him post a 32-22 record as a starter with a low 3 ERA, the 2025 campaign was cut short due to injury as Steele wound up having season-ending elbow surgery to put the start to 2026 in jeopardy. Despite being limited to four starts, Steele did what he had to do to win games as he went 3-1 in his four starts with a 4.76 ERA. A significant reason for the inflated ERA was a rough start against the Dodgers in Tokyo, which otherwise marked another strong start to the season. The Cubs missed his presence down the stretch, but adding him to their rotation again next season will be huge for them. Grade B: It's hard to grade anyone when they make only four starts, but Steele is Steele, and from all accounts, he was starting to settle in on the mound. Granted, the strikeout numbers weren't there to start the season, as Steele was pitching to more contact. However, he was beginning to strike out more batters leading up to his injury and really seemed to settle into a groove in his final start before his season ended. Once he does return to the mound in 2026, it will be curious to see what the Cubs plan is for him and how they plan to use him early in the season. Expect him to be on an innings watch the first half, intending to be ready to roll in the second half.
Coming off a fantastic rookie season that saw Shota Imanaga go 15-3 with a sub-3.00 ERA, there were a ton of expectations put on the left-hander, as many fans were hoping he could duplicate that performance. Expecting the league to catch up to him in year two, Imanaga dealt with an interesting season mixed with injuries and subpar results. He now becomes the most significant question mark for the Cubs' offseason regarding pitchers, as to whether he will return in 2026. Despite missing nearly two months with a hamstring injury, Imanaga still won nine games, going 9-8 for the season. However, the long ball gave Imanaga fits this season, as he allowed 31 homers, 21 of which came over his final nine starts, contributing to his ERA reaching 3.73 by season's end. Those struggles continued into the playoffs, where he posted an 8.10 ERA in two appearances as he wasn't the same guy the Cubs saw on the mound in 2024. Grade B-: Everyone knew there would be an adjustment period for Imanaga when he came to the Cubs, especially in the way he pitches. In an era where strikeouts and ground balls are king, Imanaga lives up in the zone, as his ability to locate and change hitters' eye level can lead to success. This season was a prime example of what happens when he can't locate, as he doesn't have the stuff to get away with mistakes, and it cost him a ton this season.Matthew Boyd
Justin Steele
Shota Imanaga
