Craig Counsell isn’t expected to be the one taking the fall if the Cubs decide to shake up their dugout this offseason, but his coaching staff could look different by the time baseball returns.
Three seasons into Counsell’s run in Chicago, the Cubs have reached the playoffs twice, yet the results still haven’t fully lined up with the expectations that came with his arrival. Even so, the bigger move doesn’t appear to be a change in manager. Counsell also spent much of the 2026 season without Cade Horton, Justin Steele, and Ben Brown, a reality that matters when judging the year as a whole.
So while Counsell seems safe, a staff adjustment feels more likely - and possibly more than one.
Ryan Flaherty is the first name to watch. A move away from the Cubs wouldn’t necessarily be a dismissal so much as a chance for him to finally take over his own team.
Flaherty has become a legitimate managerial candidate over the last couple of seasons, and last year he was viewed as a strong option for both the San Diego Padres and Baltimore Orioles. Interest in him figures to surface again this winter, and his return to Chicago may have been driven, at least in part, by the idea of helping finish the job from the 2025 season.
Tommy Hottovy may be the more realistic major change.
Hottovy has been the Cubs’ pitching coach since 2019, but the club still hasn’t built the kind of pitching pipeline it wants - the sort of streamlined system that helps feed the major league roster the way the Cleveland Guardians do. That hasn’t happened under Hottovy, and with Tyler Zombro’s rise in the front office, the offseason could present a natural opening for a reset.
The thinking is straightforward: the Cubs could bring in someone who fits Zombro’s vision, with Counsell’s approval, and try to finally get real traction on pitching development. After years of searching for more effective homegrown arms, it feels like the pressure for change starts there.
In Other News...
Cubs May Regret How Much Jed Hoyer Paid For A Short-Term Push
The Cubs pushed hard at the deadline, and the cost of that urgency is already easy to see in the shape of the deal Jed Hoyer made. Chicago brought in Kevin Gausman and Ryan Zeferjahn to bolster the pitching staff, parting with a batch of prospects that included Brett Bateman, Ty Southisene, Moises Ballesteros and Mason McGwire in the process. It was the kind of move that can look bold in July and much tougher to judge once the season has had time to breathe.
Gausman gave the Cubs nine starts and finished with a 4.83 ERA before getting hurt late in the year, while Zeferjahn showed enough to keep some intrigue with a 4.50 ERA over 18 innings. The harder part for Chicago is looking back at what went out the door: Bateman has performed well with the Blue Jays, while Ballesteros has struggled since landing with the Angels. Those mixed returns only sharpen the question of whether the Cubs paid too much for a short-term push. [Read more 🡒]
Cubs Have A Bigger Offseason Problem Than Losing Two Fan Favorites
The offseason conversation around the Cubs is already drifting toward the usual end-of-year exits, with Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ expected to hit free agency. Those departures would sting, especially for a club that has leaned on both in recent seasons, but Chicago has at least built enough depth in the outfield to absorb that kind of hit better than it could in other areas.
The bigger issue is on the mound, where ESPNs Jesse Rogers reports the Cubs are expected to make rebuilding the pitching staff their top priority. With several pitchers also set to reach free agency, the club faces work in both the starting rotation and the bullpen, and that is the part of the roster that could shape how quickly Chicago gets back into contention. [Read more 🡒]
Pete Crow-Armstrong Had A Brutal Take On Cubs Wild Card Exit
The Cubs Wild Card trip to San Diego ended with a familiar postseason problem, as the offense never really found a footing and the Padres completed the sweep. Pete Crow-Armstrong was at the center of that frustration, going 0-for-7 with four strikeouts and one walk, a line that underscored how little Chicago was able to sustain at the plate in the series.
Crow-Armstrong did not soften the evaluation afterward, acknowledging that he did not give the Cubs enough and saying he needs to be better in the games that matter most. For a young player who figures to remain a big part of Chicagos future, the blunt self-assessment only adds to the sting of a short October that ended before it ever had a chance to settle in. [Read more 🡒]