The Chicago Cubs have seen their dream start to the 2026 season turn into a slog through the mud in the last month. The team that had two 10-game winning streaks and dominated opponents at Wrigley Field has been searching to regain its winning formula since sweeping the Cincinnati Reds in early May.
The Cubs pummeled the Reds in four straight games at Wrigley Field before going on the road to face the Texas Rangers, Atlanta Braves and the cross-town Chicago White Sox. After beating the Rangers in the opener, they lost the next two games. They also lost 2 of 3 to the Braves and the White Sox before getting swept at home by the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers and the Houston Astros.
The losing streak reached 10 games before they split a four-game series with the Pirates. But the losing has continued as they dropped 2 of 3 to the St. Louis Cardinals, Athletics and the Giants. Craig Counsel’s team is not just going through a bit of a dip. Instead, everything about the Cubs is being questioned.
They don’t have the starting pitching, the power hitting has dissipated, and they have fallen into a tie for third place in the NL Central with the Pittsburgh Pirates with a 34-32 record. It is not enough for president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer to tell himself that the Cubs will get out of their slump. He has to give serious consideration to targeting two key players around Major League Baseball that can turn the team back in a winning direction
Pitching has fallen apart for the Cubs
There are major problems going on with the pitching staff. As the Cubs prepare for a road trip to Colorado and San Francisco, the only starter who has any degree of consistency is Ben Brown. He has made 6 starts, has a 2-2 record, a 1.74 earned run average, 58 strikeouts and 57.0 innings.
However, aside from Brown, who can Counsell count on? Shota Imanaga has fallen and he can’t get up with a 4.74 ERA and 17 home runs allowed. Jameson Taillon came out of Sunday night’s start against the Giants in the second inning, Edward Cabrera is struggling with a 4.99 ERA. Colin Rea may have a 5-3 record, but his 4.59 ERA indicates that he does not have the stuff to serve as a starter who can consistently shut down opponents.
The Cubs need to upgrade, and while Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers is the primary target for many teams as the trade deadline approaches, the Cubs almost certainly would have to get into a brutal bidding ware to acquire him. Multiple teams will be after him, and the price to win his services will be exorbitant as he approaches free agency.
Michael Wacha of the Royals can help the starting staff
Michael Wacha of the Royals is a different story. He has been the Royals’ best pitcher this season with a 4-4 record, a 3.44 ERA, 9 quality starts and 67 strikeouts in 81.0 innings.
The 14-year veteran has had four solid seasons in a row. After an 11-2 performance with the Red Sox in 2022, he was 14-4 with the Padres in 2023. This is his third year with the Royals and he has been a mainstay for their starting staff.
Wacha’s presence would give the Cubs an opportunity to take a deep breath when he is on the mound and know they will get a professional effort.
Cubs need a professional hitter like Luis Arraez
Pitching is not the only problem for the Cubs. When they were reeling off 15 consecutive wins at Wrigley Field, Ian Happ, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Seiya Suzuki and Nico Hoerner were delivering clutch hits with regularity.
One name that is not on that list is Alex Bregman. The former All-Star with the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox has had a disastrous first season with the Cubs and he has failed consistently in clutch situations.
His presence as a locker room positive has been diminished by his slash line of .243/.327/.342 with 5 home runs and 19 runs batted in.
The Cubs need a hitter who can get his bat on the ball consistently. Luis Arraez may be the opposite of analytics darlings because he has limited power, but he is a three-time batting champion, a three-time All-Star and a two-time silver slugger. He can play first base, second base or third base.
Arraez is in his eighth year in the big leagues and he is slashing .323/.359/.431 for the Giants with 33 runs scored, 25 RBI and just 12 strikeouts in 277 plate appearances. He is not going to hit the ball over the fence, but he will hit the ball where it’s pitched and he will make contact.
Wacha and Arraez will both make the Cubs a much better team. They can also consider Freddy Peralta of the Mets, Nathan Eovaldi of the Rangers, Casey Mize of the Tigers, Jarren Duran of the Red Sox, Taylor Ward of the Orioles and Adley Rutschman of the Orioles.
However, Wacha and Arraez should be their priorities in order to turn the team around.
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