Why Zach Eflin makes sense as a Cubs pivot option

John Jones - USA Today Sports

Dustin Riese · Senior Writer · 2 hours ago

We are inching closer to the New Year, and all eyes remain on Tatsuya Imai, who has less than two weeks to decide where he wants to play next year. Tons of teams wanted his services when he was posted, but it appears to be down to the Cubs and Yankees at this point, and we should have an answer soon.

His decision is a big reason the free-agent market has slowed, especially in starting pitching, as the Cubs hold out hope they finally land the big fish they are after. The longer they have to wait, the better their chances of getting him, as his addition would be a massive get for this entire organization and would peg them in as the heavy favorites in the division.

Although most reports have the Cubs as one of the finalists, most fans don't want to get their hopes up, as they have seen this story before. In fact, until the Cubs actually get the job done by signing a big-ticket free agent, this is all just smoke and mirrors, as talk is cheap unless something actually gets done.

For the sake of this column, let's say, by chance, Imai signs with the Yankees; it will then force the Cubs to pivot to plan B when it comes to adding a starter. Guys like Framber Valdez and Ranger Suarez are still available, but the Cubs won't go to terms or pay the prices those guys want, and that remains the most frustrating part of this team.

Should that happen, you then have to look at the trade market for a potential starter addition, but once again, the Cubs have a hard time parting ways with some of their prospects, which would make trading for Edward Cabrera, Sandy Alcantara, or anyone else tough to do. That is a tough predicament to be in, and until the Cubs get out of their own way, they will continue to drop the ball when it matters the most.

The longer this offseason goes, the less likely it is that the Cubs get any of the big names, but that doesn't mean they won't add another starter, even if it is a middle-of-the-road guy. Someone who was not only linked to them in the past but could be looking at a bounce-back season is right-hander Zach Eflin, who could be one of those back-of-the-rotation inning-eaters that the Cubs love to have.

Make no mistake about it, the 31-year-old Eflin is coming off a horrendous 2025, in which he posted a 6-5 record and a 5.93 ERA in just 14 starts. He dealt with injuries and saw his strikeout rate plummet, but when he was on the mound, he continued to give his team innings, which is all you can ask for. Rough season or not, Eflin has still been a steady starter since breaking into the league in 2016 and will continue to be someone who can anchor the back of any rotation.

Since making his debut 10 seasons ago, Eflin has posted a 68-67 mark with an ERA hovering around 4.3. Again, those may not be great numbers, but for a back-of-the-rotation arm who can eat innings, that is all you can ask for, as you can count on him to make his starts more often than not.

Eflin has also shown the ability to be trusted far more than just a back-of-the-rotation piece, logging double-digit wins in four of his 10 seasons, including a career-best 16-8 with the Rays in 2023 while posting a 3.50 ERA. He also threw a career best 177 innings that season, walking just 24 and striking out 186 as he was about as good as anyone could've asked for that season.

His performance alone that year made him one of the higher-demand free agents in 2024, which was the offseason the Cubs targeted him. He wound up signing with the Rays again before ultimately being traded to Baltimore, following 2023 with a 10-9 showing in 2024 before the bottom fell out in 2025.

What you are getting from Eflin is simple. He is a strike thrower who doesn't walk hitters, but also doesn't strike out a ton as he pitches more to contact. Sure, he sits in the 93-94 MPH range with his heater, but he prides himself on making the pitches he needs to make, as his breaking ball has been his best pitch for years.

At this stage in his career, Eflin will have to settle for one- or two-year deals, hoping to prove his worth on a staff. He is far from the best option, but for a reasonable one-year deal, you could do far worse than making him your number five starter, as he would be far more consistent than what Ben Brown was last season.