The Chicago Cubs enters the offseason with a sense of urgency to improve after four consecutive playoff misses and zero wins in October since a return trip to the 2017 NLCS following their 2016 World Series triumph.

President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer knows the team needs to improve, and one area the team is seemingly zeroing in on is pitching both in the bullpen and in the starting rotation.

The Cubs made a bullpen addition this past week by trading for Cleveland Guardians unloader Eli Morgan on the heels of the best season of his careerbut it will surely come not be the only move the team makes.

While fans would love to see the team add a compelling ace to an already solid rotation and create a unit that ranks among the best in baseball, it’s starting to look more and more unlikely that Chicago will spend on one of the top starters in free agency.

Sahadev Sharma from The Athletic wrote in a recap of the Morgan trade that fans shouldn’t hold their breath if they want to see the team sign a pitcher who Corbin Burns, Max Friedor Blake Snell.

“The Cubs’ priority remains pitching. The top tier of the starting pitching market has been ruled out,” Sharma wrote, adding some names in the second tier that Chicago could pursue. “The Cubs have also often stayed away from pitchers with qualifying offers. That makes Sean Manaea, Luis Severino and Nick Pivetta less likely than Nathan Eovaldi, Yusei Kikuchi and maybe even Jack Flaherty.”

It’s really disappointing to hear that they probably won’t even try to draw an ace, but it’s not that surprising either.

Have spent on Shota Imanaga last winter as well as one potential extension looming for Justin Steele and a big contract committed to Jameson TaillonChicago has a lot of money tied up in the rotation.

An addition of someone in the second or third tier can make a lot of sense and allow money to be freed up to spend elsewhere.

It’s not what Cubs fans want to hear, but Chicago not pursuing a true ace this winter looks like the most likely outcome.