One of the tenets of Jed Hoyer, and Theo Epstein before him,\u00a0 while running the Chicago Cubs was to compete for multiple championships.\u00a0 The only way to do this is to consistently make the playoffs.\u00a0 With their last appearance in 2020, it has been a bit of a drought for the Cubs as of late.\u00a0 So the question becomes, are the Cubs a team competing for a playoff spot, or a team planning on making the playoffs?\u00a0 Based on their offseason moves, the latter seems to be the mentality for those at Clark and Addison. \u00a0But who is the most indispensable player who will lead them to October?<\/p>\n
Cody Bellinger<\/a> just re-signed<\/a> for $30 million with options for two more years.\u00a0 Japanese pitcher Shota Imanaga<\/a> signed a four-year deal for $53 million. Hector Neris<\/a> was signed for $9 million<\/a> to sure up the bullpen.\u00a0 Add these to an already solid core of Dansby Swanson<\/a>, Nico Hoerner<\/a>, Ian Happ<\/a>, and Seiya Suzuki<\/a> and there is no doubt the Cubs are trying to do more than just win the division.\u00a0 Cap this with a new $40 million+ manager in Craig Counsell<\/a>, anything short of a division title will be a disappointment.<\/p>\n All of these pieces will be key if the Cubs are to return to the playoffs for the first time since the pandemic ended.\u00a0 However, if one player had to be chosen as the most indispensable player for the team, a strong argument can be made for a player that hasn\u2019t even been mentioned yet \u2013 Justin Steele<\/a>.<\/p>\n Steele is coming off of a year<\/a> where he had a 3.8 WAR, a team-leading 16 wins, and an ERA just over 3.00.\u00a0 He is what every team needs.\u00a0 He is an ace, a stopper, a pitcher who the team can count on every fifth day.\u00a0 When a losing streak starts, Steele has to be counted on to stop it.\u00a0 When he is on, Steele stands on par with any starting pitcher in the major leagues.\u00a0 He is coming off an All-Star season where he finished in the top 5 in Cy Young voting.\u00a0 Entering the final three weeks of the season, Steele was 16-3, winning seven straight decisions.<\/p>\n Part of the reason the Cubs faltered down the stretch last season (going 7-15 in the last 22 games) was because Steele was no longer an ace.\u00a0 He dropped his last two decisions, and in his final three starts, he gave up 15 earned runs in less than 15 innings.\u00a0 Steele has the ability to pitch deep into ballgames, giving up less than three runs routinely.\u00a0 In his 30 starts last season, Steele recorded 23 quality starts where he pitched at least six innings and gave up three or fewer runs.\u00a0 Even more so than some of the offensive pieces, the Cubs were in the division race for so long largely because of Justin Steele’s performance.<\/p>\n Whole lotta talent at the top of the rotation \ud83d\udd25 pic.twitter.com\/5mF5mymXkJ<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 B\/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) March 5, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\nJustin Steele Indispensable for Cubs<\/h2>\n
Why Steele and Not Someone Else?<\/h3>\n
\n