It’s still April, but this Cubs offense gives me flashbacks to 2008—the year the team led the National League in runs scored and looked like a powerhouse every night at Wrigley. Back then, it felt like anyone could come through with the big hit, whether it was Aramis Ramírez, Derrek Lee, or even Geovany Soto. This year’s group has a similar vibe—it’s deep, it’s pesky, and it’s always one pitch away from a rally. Ian Happ, Christopher Morel, Seiya Suzuki (when healthy), and Michael Busch have turned this into a grind-it-out lineup that doesn’t need to rely on the long ball to do damage—though they can definitely do that too.
At 15-10, the Cubs are in first place and holding their own against a tough early schedule. The vibes are good. The bats are hot. But the pitching staff? That’s where things get uncomfortable—and very reminiscent of the 2005 season, when injuries torpedoed what should have been a competitive team.
Let’s start with Justin Steele, who was supposed to anchor the rotation this year. He looked every bit like an ace through his first two starts, but after throwing 91 pitches in a gritty outing against the Texas Rangers on April 7, he came away with elbow soreness that turned out to be far more serious than anyone hoped. Tests revealed damage to the flexor tendon and the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow. The result? Season-ending surgery to repair both. It was a crushing blow not just to the Cubs’ rotation but to the team’s overall outlook. On top of that, Javier Assad, who had emerged as a reliable option last year and was being counted on to take a step forward in 2025, suffered an oblique strain in game one against the Los Angeles Dodgers on March 18th. He’s been sidelined ever since, leaving another hole in a rotation already stretched thin.
It’s eerily similar to 2005, when the Cubs opened the year with Mark Prior and Kerry Wood both dealing with injuries, Greg Maddux holding things together with duct tape, and guys like Glendon Rusch and Jerome Williams being asked to eat innings. This year, instead of Prior and Wood, it’s Steele and Assad. And instead of Rusch and Williams, it’s Ben Brown and Colin Rae being asked to carry the weight. Brown, to his credit, has looked sharp. Rae has kept the Cubs in games. But this rotation was built around depth, and now that depth is being tested way too early.
That’s where Craig Counsell comes in. The Cubs’ skipper is managing games knowing the bullpen will lose it because he is not being given experienced arms by Jed Hoyer. Counsell’s reputation in Milwaukee was built on creative pitching management, and we’re seeing that play out in real time. With Steele and Assad out Counsell’s had to lean on his bullpen far more than expected and is not taking the blame for managing it poorly.
We’ve seen him go to Brad Keeler early in games, sometimes in the fourth or fifth inning, just to create a bridge and keep the team in it. Daniel Palencia, who flashes upper-90s heat and swing-and-miss stuff, has been used carefully—Counsell knows overexposure could mean disaster. Porter Hodge has been thrust into higher-leverage situations than expected, and while his control still wavers, he’s shown flashes of what he could become. Julian Merryweather has looked dominant at times, but he’s also had outings where the zone completely disappears. And Ryan Brasier, the veteran with postseason experience, has been both a stabilizing force and an occasional heart attack waiting to happen.
The reality is, Counsell has done a remarkable job managing a bullpen full of volatility and question marks. He’s not just playing matchups—he’s juggling development, fatigue, and confidence. While it’s clear he’s trying to build a rhythm and identity for this group, even if the pieces aren’t always cooperating. Roles have shifted constantly, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing—it’s just the reality of a bullpen still looking for a true backbone.
You’ve got to give him credit—this team is 15-10 despite the chaos on the pitching staff. Offensively, from Kyle Tucker in the two hole and Michael Busch, Dansby Swanson, and Nico Hoerner in the middle of the order the lineup has some real left-handed thump. Swanson has started slow, but even he’s had his moments. Then there’s Pete Crow-Armstrong, who has finally getting some real MLB reps, has looked solid defensively and even flashed a nice bat and his extra-base power.
But none of that can fully compensate for a bullpen that remains the team’s biggest hole. This isn’t just a roster quirk—it’s a structural flaw. The front office never replaced some of the they lost over the years and the internal options haven’t stepped up the way they hoped. There’s no reliable seventh-inning guy or setup man. It’s all mix-and-match, all the time.
To their credit, the Cubs front office isn’t standing pat. In an early attempt to stabilize the bullpen and give Counsell another experienced weapon, they pulled off a trade with the Seattle Mariners for veteran lefty Drew Pomeranz. It’s a bit of a roll of the dice—Pomeranz hasn’t been fully healthy in a few seasons—but when he’s right, he can still carve through lefties and bring some veteran poise to high-leverage moments. He’s not the same guy who was dominant for the Padres in 2020 and 2021, but the Cubs don’t need him to be lights out—they just need someone who’s been there, done that, and can get big outs without unraveling.
This move doesn’t fix everything, but it’s a signal. Jed Hoyer knows the bullpen is shaky, and he’s willing to act. If Pomeranz can stay healthy and find even a glimmer of his past form, he could be a stabilizing piece in a relief corps full of volatility. He gives Counsell another look, another option, and maybe even a bit of late-inning clarity.
That might work for now, especially with Counsell pulling the strings. But come midseason, if the Cubs are still in first and still grinding out wins, Hoyer is going to have to go back to the well—Pomeranz alone won’t be enough. The offense is good enough to carry them, especially is Suzuki stays healthy. The rotation should be good enough to keep the Cubs in most games assuming Taillon and and one of the youngsters step up behind Imanaga. But the bullpen is not sustainable as it currently stands.
We saw this in 2008 too. That team had an incredible lineup, but when they got to the playoffs, the bullpen was a still a question mark and the rotation wasn’t at full strength. That can’t happen again. The Cubs have a window this year, especially with the Cardinals struggling and the Brewers dealing with their own transition under Pat Murphy. This team doesn’t need to be perfect. But it needs to be balanced. And right now, the bullpen is what’s tipping the scale.
Here’s the thing folks: Yes, the offense reminds me of 2008 in all the best ways—timely hitting, patient at-bats, and lineup depth from top to bottom. And the pitching situation? It feels a little too close to 2005 for comfort—way too many guys getting hurt, way too early. Craig Counsell is doing a masterful job navigating through it all, but even the best managers can only work with what they’re given by their teams President of Baseball Operations.
With that… What the Cubs have right now is a first-place team with a glaring flaw. Until that bullpen becomes more stable, it’s going to be the thing that keeps fans up at night—and possibly the thing that keeps this team from reaching its full potential.
If you cannot play with them, then root for them!