Chicago Cubs Skipper Could Shake Up Starting Rotation Throughout Season

It seems like the Chicago Cubs could have a fluid rotation based on comments made by their manager.

The Chicago Cubs were able to land one of the top arms on the market in free agency when they signed Shota Imanaga to a team-friendly deal this offseason.

On paper, he slides into the spot left by Marcus Stroman who departed for the New York Yankees.

So far, the Japanese phenom has lived up to the hype.

Across three starts, he's allowed five runs on 10 hits, and has struck out a team-high 19 batters across his 9 2/3 innings of work.

The Cubs knew that they'd have to rework their starting rotation a bit following the Imanaga addition because of how differently starters are used in Japan compared to in Major League Baseball.

But, the supposed strategy of manager Craig Counsell suggests that they might be making changes to their starting unit throughout the entire year.

"It is also worth noting that Counsell wants to maintain flexibility with the back of the rotation, allowing for additional days off for members of the staff. That includes Imanaga, who is adjusting to a five-day routine after being on a six-day program in Japan. Counsell has described the situation not as a six-man rotation, but maybe working in a sixth starter on occasion," writes Jordan Bastian of MLB.com.

Jameson Taillon's injury certainly plays a factor into that as well, but this is very interesting to think about.

Chicago's rotation will likely consist of ace Justin Steele, Imanaga, Kyle Hendricks, Javier Assad and Jordan Wicks.

The backend is what is uknown.

Assad and Wicks were fantastic for stretches during their rookie seasons in 2023 as Assad posted a 2.84 ERA during his nine starts from August to mid-September, and Wicks had a 3.00 ERA through his first six starts before a rough final outing ballooned his numbers.

They should get an opportunity to build upon what they did last year.

Who potentially is that sixth starter is the question.

The Cubs could go back to veteran Drew Smyly, but he was moved into the bullpen for the remainder of the season after his ERA was over 5.00 in mid-August.

Hayden Wesneski could also get a look, but he struggled as a starting pitcher as well before being transition into a relief role.

Either way, Counsell is going to change things up throughout 2024.

How that works out remains to be seen.