The Chicago Cubs and their fans had a collective bittersweet moment Friday morning as they read through their early baseball news.
Cubs ace Justin Steele took to social media to address the fans as he prepared himself for elbow surgery.
Justin Steel Sends Heartfelt Message To Chicago Cubs Fans
Per Steele, via Instagram:
“Surgery today. Just wanted to take some time to say thank you to everyone who has sent their thoughts and prayers. Truly means the world to me at the number of people who have reached out to my family and me. It’s appreciated beyond belief. I’ll be back soon and better than ever.”
While it’s still unclear as to which specific surgery he’ll be having to repair his ailing left elbow (most believe it to be Tommy John surgery), the fact remains that it’ll be a season-ender and possibly keep him from pitching early next season as well.
And, of course, that loss will be felt.
Steele has a 3.30 ERA over his 5-year major league run with the Cubs and has been the team’s most consistently excellent starter during that run. From 2022 on, he’s also been one of the top starters in all of major league baseball.
Replacing Steele
For now, however, the Cubs’ focus is on replacing him internally, mostly because there’s virtually no trade market fight now, just past the halfway mark in April.
“Of course, we’re going to make phone calls on trades,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer recently told The Athletic. “Of course, we’re going to be open. But it’s also April, and those (deals) are unusual. Right now, our biggest focus is internally, just making sure that guys are throwing well and that we can withstand (things) from within.
“Is there anyone actually truly available? For the most part, teams are just going to say: ‘We’ll wait until July, at least, when we have a bigger market and more teams involved.’ It’s just hard this time of year to get (deals done). I would also say there’s just not that many sellers right now.”
Cubs manager Craig Counsell was realistic, but optimistic about how his team will adapt without their southpaw linchpin.
“You don’t replace people like Justin Steele,” Counsell told MLB.com. “The next guy has to step up, but it’s very difficult to replace that level of play. You hope you have some options to do so, and we think we do.”
For now, the Cubs are going with swing man Colin Rea to fill Steele’s rotation spot. The veteran, signed to a one-year, $5 million deal this offseason, pitched well in his first start of the season, allowing one earned run in 3.2 innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 13.
The Impact Of The Loss
The loss of Steele hit the team hard when the news broke and some are still feeling the impact.
“You feel for Justin, just the competitor he is. He wants to be out there,” Cubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy said, voice breaking with emotion, shortly after the team knew Steele’s injury was season-ending. “He wanted me to know from him and talk through it a little bit, and kind of talk through what options he had and what plans he had. That’s the kind of guy he is. He wants to respect the work we’ve all put in together. We’ve known each other for a long time now.”
For now, at least, the Cubs will do the best they can with what they have.
And Justin Steele will go about the business of resting, recovering, and coming back for a hopeful pennant push in 2026.