Chicago Cubs Pitcher Named Player They 'Should've Traded' During Deadline

The Chicago Cubs decision to not trade one of their best pitchers might've been the wrong one.

Aug 3, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Jameson Taillon (50) throws the ball against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Wrigley Field. / David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

There's a very good chance that in a few months, the Chicago Cubs front office will look at the decisions they made at the trade deadline and regret them—not because of what they did, but because of what they didn't do.

This team clearly is a long way away from competing, and while their goal during the deadline was to improve for 2025, there's a lot more that needs to be done.

They added pieces that should help them moving forward, but it'll all likely come down to what they do in the offseason. If Jed Hoyer and the rest of the front office land top-end free agents, things will change.

Unfortunately, they haven't been able to do that throughout the past few offseasons. The Cubs have added some decent players but no superstar. Not that one superstar would change the outcome of this year, or any season for that matter, but it's nice to land some of the top free agents in a class. 

With an already loaded farm system, they should be in a good position to potentially land one when the time comes via a trade. However, they had multiple opportunities to better their farm system even more to get additional trade ammo for the foreseeable future just last week.

And that's why Zach Pressnell of FanSided listed Jameson Taillon as a player they should've traded. 

"The Cubs would be better off to take advantage of the selling market by dealing their controllable starter, Jameson Taillon. Taillon is having a solid season, and he holds a few years of control on his contract."

When looking at some of the deals around Major League Baseball for pitchers that aren't as good as Taillon, it's tough to argue that Chicago shouldn't have pulled the trigger on moving him.

In some senses, he's having a career year, which could've scared teams. Outside of the 2018 season, this is the best year he's posted in his career, currently owning a 3.25 ERA and 128 ERA+. His ERA+ would be the best of his career if it continues.

To add to that, he's on a four-year, $68 million contract, which isn't easy to move for multiple reasons. Outside of this being a career campaign for him, he's also 32 years old, which could mean that he'll decline at some point.

The Cubs are looking to compete in 2025, so if that's truly in their best interest, maybe keeping him around was the right decision.

The team won't know that until 2025 plays out.