The Chicago Cubs need to re-sign this free agency-eligible veteran right now

The Chicago Cubs got their magic number down to “1” on Sunday at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati when they beat the Reds 9-1.

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Despite seven different Cubs getting an RBI on the day, the hero of the game had to be starting pitcher David Peterson, who allowed just one earned run on 3 hits and a walk in 6 innings.

The performance lowers Peterson’s season ERA to 4.96 and his Cubs ERA to 3.94 over 15 games.

The numbers alone definitely won’t blow anyone away, but they don’t tell the whole story of just how crucial Peterson has been to the team in the second half of this season.

And there’s definitely a case to be made that the Cubs need to explore re-signing the free agency-eligible lefty as a key piece of their 2027 pitching staff.

David Peterson as a Cub

David Peterson, Chicago Cubs — Jun 27, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher David Peterson (19) delivers a pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers in the first inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

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Since coming over from the New York Mets on June 25, the veteran has been a much-needed point of stability in the injury-battered starting rotation. If you exclude the two bad outings he’s had with Chicago, his ERA goes all the way down to 2.25 and he’s delivered 5 quality starts in his Cubs run—two consecutive down this home stretch of the regular season.

He was brought to the team in a highly-questioned trade at the time as injury and poor performance had the Cubs doubting whether they even had enough starting pitching to man a full rotation.

“David came in at a time when we were wondering who was going to start a game for us,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “Really, that’s where we were at. Can we bring some people in that can stabilize the rotation, that we can count on to make the starts? I think David’s done an excellent job at that.”

Peterson impressed right from the start and worked diligently with the Cubs coaching staff to fix the kinks in his game that had him struggling with the Mets.

“There’s nothing huge or new,” Peterson told reporters back in August. “A lot of it was coming down to getting back to some old patterns that I had when I was at my best. It’s starting to hammer on those a little bit: Get more into my legs, use my lower body more efficiently and take some stress off the arm, which I think helped with the command and some of the pitch shapes…

“I’m focused on being a better version of myself every day. That’s kind of the goal. Those are good things to look back on, good videos to see what I was doing right back then to clean some stuff up, but I like where we’re going.”

Help for a starting rotation in crisis

Jul 3, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher David Peterson (19) throws the ball against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images

Heading into 2027, the Cubs will be in a tough spot when it comes to their starting rotation. Matthew Boyd and Shota Imanaga will be eligible for free agency, as will trade deadline acquisition Kevin Gausman. Fellow deadline pickup Clay Holmes, meanwhile, is expected to reject his 2027 player option and also explore free agency.

Emerging ace Cade Horton will be out for much—if not all—of the season, recovering from Tommy John surgery in April. Justin Steele, meanwhile, will be coming back to full-time duty after his own elbow surgery issues.

So, the Cubs will need starting pitching—proven starting pitching. A rotation of the comebacking Steele, Edward Cabrera, Javier Assad, and Colin Rea does not inspire the least bit of confidence.

And although the front office will have a good amount of money coming off the books, it’s not realistic to expect them to sign two or three front-of-rotation pitchers to beef up their staff.

That’s where Peterson comes in.

Even if he gets a 50% raise from his 2026 $8.1 million salary, he’d still be a solid buy for the Cubs and a smart asset for the back-end of the rotation. At 31, he’d probably be asking for a 3-4 year deal, but the realities of his recent struggles could mean having to settle for a 2-year contract.

Admittedly, Peterson is not the flashiest name on a Cubs pitching wish list, but he’d be a solid blue collar addition at a good price that allows the team to sign up more talent. He clearly loves the Cubs coaches who, in turn, seem able to get the best out of him. He’ll also flourish as a groundball pitcher with the elite Cubs infield defense behind him. Trying to keep him in Chicago should be a no-brainer.

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