The Cubs are heading into the 2026 MLB Draft with a problem they can’t really ignore anymore: they need pitching, and they may finally be ready to draft like it.
Chicago owns five Day 1 picks, starting at No. 23 in the first round and continuing at No. 62, No.
75, No. 98 and No. 126.
That gives the front office plenty of chances to reshape a system that has leaned heavily toward bats in recent years. The Cubs have taken a position player in the first round in three straight drafts, and while that has helped stock the farm with intriguing talent, it has also left the organization thin where it matters most on the mound.
That gap has become more obvious this season, especially with the injuries piling up. Jaxon Wiggins may be the only Top 30 arm in the organization close to a real MLB role, which is a pretty stark place to be for a club with this much draft capital.
Dan Kantrovitz, the team’s VP of Scouting, didn’t dance around it when he met with reporters earlier this week.
“You can’t take good pitching if you don’t take pitching," Kantrovitz said. "I think one of the things that we’ve looked at in years past, in the last few years in particular, is how do we allocate more of our draft pool to pitching without leaking wins or overall just draft value, which has always been our North Star.
We go into draft being pretty agnostic of position player vs. pitcher, just wanting to take the best player available … I think this year the reality is we’re going to try to be a little less dogmatic about maybe sticking to that and realizing that practically to get more good pitching, we might just have to take more pitching. I think that’s just the most obvious lever to pull.”
That’s the clearest sign yet that Chicago is willing to tweak its usual best-player-available mindset. The Cubs have not exactly missed on their recent picks - Ethan Conrad is an intriguing prospect, while Cam Smith in 2024 and Matt Shaw in 2023 are already in the majors. They’ve also added several breakout position players to the system, including Josiah Hartshorn, who has climbed quickly through the minors.
But the pitching side of the ledger still looks light, and Kantrovitz made it clear the club is looking for arms with spin and velocity as core traits.
The Cubs aren’t expected to get a gift on draft day, either. Kantrovitz said he doesn’t think there will be a player who unexpectedly tumbles into their lap after the first round.
“I don’t think it’s going to be a situation after the first round where I’m talking to you guys, and I’m saying this guy just fell into our lap … It’s probably less optimistic in years past that we have that person ranked really high on a board that’s just going to drop," Kantrovitz said.
That could actually make the decision cleaner. The top half of the draft is loaded with position players, so if that board holds, the Cubs may have a straightforward path to the move their system seems to need most: take the best pitcher available and keep building from there.
As for names to watch, Jonathan Mayo’s latest MLB.com mock has Chicago taking Coastal Carolina’s Cameron Flukey. Tennessee’s Tegan Kuhn, South Carolina’s Mason Edwards and Ole Miss’ Cade Townsend have also been mentioned among the pitchers expected to go in that range.
The Cubs could still go another direction at No. 23.
A high school player or a position player at the top of the board is still in play. But after years of prioritizing value over need, this draft looks like a chance for Chicago to address the clearest hole in the organization.
In Other News...
Cubs Face A Draft Risk They Really Cannot Afford Again
The Cubs head into the upcoming MLB Draft with a familiar need hanging over the board: pitching, and especially pitching that can actually move the needle in an organization light on high-end arms. That urgency makes the first round feel less like a luxury pick and more like a chance to start fixing a long-running problem, even if the pool of college arms comes with the usual medical questions.
Chicagos caution is understandable after recent swings on injured pitchers such as Cade Horton and Jaxon Wiggins, and it has left the club wary of repeating the same mistake. One of the names drawing attention comes with enough arm-related concern to make the Cubs think twice, which is exactly the kind of draft crossroad they can ill afford to get wrong again. [Read more 🡒]
Cubs Finally Got The Boyd And Bregman Boost They Needed
The Cubs opened their three-game set in Baltimore with a 5-2 win, and the night had the kind of shape they have been looking for from two of their bigger additions. Matthew Boyd gave them six scoreless innings with seven strikeouts, his most extended outing since coming off the injured list, while Alex Bregman came through with the sort of timely contact that can change a game when runners are on base.
Boyds line was the bigger story, especially after he worked through a couple of baserunners and still kept the Orioles off the board, and manager Craig Counsell made clear afterward how much that mattered. Bregman also helped push the Cubs into control with an RBI single and another run-producing play later, giving Chicago a needed boost from the middle of the order even as some of the lineups struggles continued to linger. [Read more 🡒]
Cubs Deadline Pressure Is Growing Around One Problem They Can't Escape
With the amateur draft still occupying most front offices, the trade market has not fully come into focus yet, but the Cubs already know the kind of problem they will be trying to solve. Chicagos pitching staff has been hit hard by injuries, leaving the club in a spot where the need is less about sorting starters from relievers and more about simply finding healthy arms. Craig Counsell has framed the deadline ask in broad terms, and that makes sense with so many pieces unavailable.
The list of sidelined pitchers is long enough to shape how the Cubs think about July, from Justin Steele and Cade Horton to Hoby Milner and Daniel Palencia. Jameson Taillon is at least moving in the right direction after a rehab outing in which he worked 3 1/3 innings and 45 pitches, and he is expected to make one more rehab start before rejoining the rotation after the All-Star break. Even then, Chicago may have to manage him carefully early on, which only underscores why the deadline pressure around pitching keeps building. [Read more 🡒]