The Chicago Cubs are staring at a starting-pitching problem this offseason, and the answer may not come from the top of the free-agent market alone.
With Kevin Gausman, David Peterson, Clay Holmes, Matthew Boyd and Shota Imanaga all likely to hit free agency - Holmes expected to opt out and Boyd holding a mutual option - the Cubs need to add arms. They can shop in free agency, sure, but the trade market should be part of the plan too.
And after injuries ravaged their pitching staff in 2026, they need more than one headline move. They need depth.
That is where Gavin Stone enters the picture.
The Dodgers right-hander has slipped into the background after basically vanishing for the last two seasons following October 2024 shoulder surgery. He was expected to fight for a rotation spot this year, but shoulder soreness after his first spring training start sidelined him for six months.
When he finally returned in August, he made six minor league starts and posted a 5.28 ERA across 15.1 innings. He never made it back to the majors in 2026 and has not pitched in the big leagues since September 2024.
There is, though, a reason Stone still makes sense as a target: he has already shown he can get major-league hitters out.
His only full season came in 2024, when the rookie went 11-5 with a 3.53 ERA, 4.01 FIP, 1.21 WHIP, 113 ERA+, 116 strikeouts, 2.4 walks per nine innings and 2.1 bWAR over 25 starts and 140.1 innings. That year ended with a shutdown in September because of shoulder inflammation, which eventually led to the surgery that changed his trajectory.
For a Cubs team with a weak farm system, the smarter play is likely to spend heavily on one starter in free agency and then hunt for lower-cost pitching help elsewhere. Stone fits that second lane.
Los Angeles has a loaded rotation, and with Stone not having thrown in MLB for two years, the Dodgers would not be in line to demand a massive return. He also still has three years of arbitration eligibility.
At 28, Stone is far from a finished product, but the upside is obvious. If he can get back to the form he showed in 2024, the Cubs would have a legitimate win on their hands and a rotation piece they can count on in 2027 instead of scrambling again during the season.
If the Dodgers make him available, Chicago should be ready to move. It is the kind of low-risk, high-reward trade that could end up looking brilliant.
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The question is whether the Cubs believe that version of Rolison is the one they can count on going forward, or whether the underlying numbers suggest some caution before they pencil him in too confidently. That uncertainty is why a name like Dodgers free agent Alex Vesia makes sense in the conversation, since adding another proven lefty would give Chicago more insurance if Rolisons metrics point toward regression rather than repeat production. [Read more 🡒]