The Chicago Cubs will pursue starting pitching during the offseason, but they're unlikely to enter a bidding war for two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal, sources told The Athletic's Sahadev Sharma.
Labor uncertainty and other roster holes are reportedly among the reasons that Chicago will stay out of the race for Skubal.
The Cubs are expected to check in on every other free-agent starting pitcher, with a focus on hurlers with high ground-ball rates, such as Clay Holmes and David Peterson, Sharma adds.
Holmes posted the highest ground-ball percentage among starters with at least 100 innings pitched last season, while Peterson ranked eighth in the same category, according to FanGraphs.
Chicago had one of the best defenses in baseball last season, but its starting pitching allowed the third-most homers in the majors.
If the season started today, the Cubs' rotation would consist of Justin Steele, Edward Cabrera, Ben Brown, Javier Assad, and Braxton Garrett.
