What Should Chicago Cubs Do With Taillon and the Rotation?

The Chicago Cubs are looking for answers as the quarter mark of the season has come and passed. One question lingers however as Jameson Taillon continues to underperform.

It has not been a pretty start to the 2023 MLB season for the Chicago Cubs and their new $68 million man in Jameson Taillon. 

Through seven starts, Taillon has pitched just 26.2 innings and owns a hellacious 8.10 ERA with an unsightly 1.725 WHIP. He can't keep base runners off the paths and opposing teams are taking advantage of the situation. 

A coveted free agent this past offseason, Taillon has failed to live up to the billing early and has proved to be a liability in Chicago's rotation.

As President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer said, "It's not early forever."

It begs the question: What should the Cubs do regarding Taillon and the rotation?

Chicago has an interesting situation on its hands. In one case, the team employs three top-end starters in Justin Steele, Marcus Stroman and Drew Smyly, all who have performed well this season. Among the best in the National League in fact.

In the other, they have Taillon, Hayden Wesneski and now Kyle Hendricks who are large question marks. 

The latter showed some flashes of his vintage self on Thursday in a loss to the New York Mets, but still exhibited plenty of rust after not having pitched since July 5, 2022.

Wesneski was sent down to Triple-A, where multiple reports suggest he is now working on his slider, an effective pitch that wasn't working for him in the Majors. 

And then you have Taillon. 

You can't make the argument to move Taillin to the bullpen. At least not this early in his tenure and on a $68 million deal.

Manager David Ross gave some insight into how they are hoping to fix him, such as simplifying his approach, usage and sequencing according to The Athletic.

Chicago was also able to push back his start by a day when they activated Hendricks, giving Taillon an extra day of rest.

Here is a crazy proposal.

Run a six-man rotation. 

Taillon could benefit in the short term with extra rest and more time to work on a newer, simplified approach. He would also be able to spend more time adjusting to the pitch clock in non-competitive situations. 

Hendricks is getting older, hasn't pitched in many meaningful games in nearly a year and could also benefit from a lower workload, at least initially. 

As for Wesneski, he was seen as the next "big" thing on the North Side. If he can figure out his cutter and pitch usage at Triple-A, he could be serviceable at the MLB level. A six man rotation could allow him development at the Major League level while also providing a breath for the other two.

When off days and the looming All-Star break are factored in, the top three starters in Stroman, Steele and Smyly may not have to have their routines altered all that much. 

If implemented successfully, it gives the back end of the Cubs' rotation extra breathing room and more time to plan and develop items they need to improve upon. 

Considering 2023 was not the year Chicago expected to contend for the division, getting creative, especially ahead of the trade deadline, couldn't hurt. 

At 22-27, just about anything is worth a try.

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