The Cubs Confusing Pitching Corps
The Chicago Cubs pitching corps is becoming excruciatingly cramped, and yet there are several big question marks that remain. The starting staff appears to be set, but the collection of guys remaining is confusing. Which leaves many to scratch their heads. Personally I don’t believe the Cubs are finished adding to their corps, and that includes trading a valued piece.
As of now, the Cubs feature 14 pitchers on their 25-man roster. A team will generally carry 11 or 12 pitchers in a season, which leaves the Cubs searching for ways to drop two or three.
This is why it was confusing for the team to add players like, Brian Duensing, Brett Anderson, and perhaps mostly – Caleb Smith.
Crowded corps
Duensing can add an experienced, and tested arm to the backend of their bullpen. Having thrown 662 innings in 368 games in the majors, Duensing adds depth to a position which lacked it during the playoffs. Perhaps more importantly, Brian adds a lefty reliever to a heavily right-handed pen.
Brett Anderson became just an incredibly strange addition to the starting staff. Expectation is, Mike Montgomery becomes the fifth starter. This means Anderson is left trying out for a position which doesn’t exist. Now depth will be forever important, but the team isn’t going to begin a season with a six-man rotation. In fact, the team won’t run with a six-man for an extended time at all.
Caleb Smith, a Rule 5 draftee, needs to stay on the Cubs roster throughout the season, otherwise he will be returned to his original team. He is another lefty reliever that has faired well against lefties in the minors, and the Cubs are excited to have him.
“Caleb was a guy we settled on and are excited about,” general manager Jed Hoyer said. “We’ve had some success with Rule 5 guys. Hector (Rondon) was a huge part of what we did. We felt good enough to move forward and select (Smith).”
He has never succeeded at the Major League level, heck he’s never pitched at the Major League level. This makes one wonder why the Cubs would leave such a huge role, on a championship caliber team, to a Rule 5 guy.
Making sense of it all
The current makeup of the Cubs pitching corps, I believe, isn’t how it will look come opening day. I don’t believe one, or two of the fore-mentioned pitchers will be with the team – as well as one of the team’s studs over the past the seasons.
The Cubs will give Caleb every opportunity to make the club in springing training, but will eventually ship him back to New York. Brett Anderson will be given every opportunity to prove he can be valuable. Expect that he might even make the roster as a reliever. He’s just not going to beat out Montgomery for that fifth spot.
It is my belief that the Cubs hope Brett can prove to be valuable, and flip him somewhere for another asset.
The shocker
I wholeheartedly believe the Cubs trade Hector Rondon. He had been very successful when given the opportunity, but is my belief that the Cubs and Joe Maddon have lost faith in him. Rondon has been a very reliable closer, saving 77 games in the last three seasons.
Some of the reason Rondon’s usage dropped was due to Aroldis Chapman. A lot was more related to his late season injury. But more was due to his performance, or lack thereof of, through the final months of the season.
With Wade Davis assuming the closer’s role, and CJ Edwards the heir apparent, Rondon may see an even further reduced role in a heavily right-handed bullpen. This makes Hector, unfortunately, expendable.
Trading Hector could return a valuable lefty reliever. The type of reliever that you could March out against the toughest of left handed batters, and get them out. He would be attractive to any team looking to compete, but doesn’t have a clear cut closer. Or he could benefit a team that losses their closer early on.
They aren’t finished
Theo and Jed aren’t finished tinkering just yet. The luxury of being so talented is, there is no pressing need, but small areas to attempt to improve.
All remaining efforts the Cubs make will be to continue to improve the pitching staff. Some will say, “the Cubs had the best staff in baseball last season,” and you’re partially correct. Remember, no team that has had all five starters start 30 games in a season, we’re able to repeat that feat. This is why we saw the Brett Anderson signing. It’s why we might see one more free agent signing as well.
They top brass certainly are not finished here. There’s a couple of spots they can still shine up.
Do you think the Cubs are done tinkering? Will Rondon will end the season on the Cubs? Are Caleb Smith and Brian Duensing here to stay? Will be big contributors? What about Brett Anderson?
Leave some comments below.
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I disagree with you about a lot in this article. I truly don’t believe monty will be a starting guy and if he does begin the season in the rotation it won’t last very long. His stuff doesn’t seem to be so good that he can continue to shut down opponents the second and third time through the order. I believe he’s going to fit nicely in the Travis Wood role. Beyond that, I think Brett Anderson was insurance on Lackey. No one is talking about him at all. He was given a pass because we won the WS but he had little to do with it. All year he talked his, “I’m not here for a haircut, I’m here for jewelery” and “I’m waiting for the big boy games” yet when he got to the big boy games he couldn’t even crawl out of the sandbox. I didnt like the signing when it happened and I like even less now. If we rely on him anymore than a fifth starter we might have trouble. I think he’s done.
Rondon is a curious situation. I hope it was the injury that had Maddon lose faith in him because if it wasn’t Maddon did nothing to help his confidence going forward and he shouldn’t be on the team.
My desire was for us to trade Arietta in the offseason to maybe get a young stud who’s ready for the jump. But obviously that didn’t happen.
I hope Bosio can work his magic on some of these new signings but if they don’t pan out, releasing them is not a big deal. It happens all the time in the MLB. We did it last year with Shane Victorino. It’s life in the show. You don’t pull your weight buh bye
The Cubs have said all along Monty is poised to take over the 5th spot. Personally, I don’t like the move, but not because I don’t think he’ll do well as a starter. I think his contributions in reliefs, along with the lack of quality lefties in the pen, leave a HUGE hole in the pen. Brett is insurance, but even he leaves with a ton of question marks – mostly health.
I’m half in, half out on an Arrieta trade. While I think they could grab a quality piece, because he can simply walk at the end of the year will devalue him on the open market. Maybe his value goes up once there is baseball, but at that point the Cubs will need all the bullets they have.
Either way, thanks for reading and posting a comment. We might not exactly agree, but I appreciate you reading and of course our thoughts come from the same place – being a fan.
Mo problem. I can talk cubs til the cows come home. Bretts a huge IF but if he stays healthy it could be a great move. Bats will be much improved up and down the order so the pitching won’t have to dominate as much as they did early on last year.
I think the equalizer, especially if the pitching isn’t as good in ’17, will be 150 games of Schwarber and a (hopefully) much improved Heyward. Those two should add to the offensive domination, and allow the team to have a underwhelming fifth starter or bumps with John Lackey (and maybe Arrieta).
I have a fraternal little brother (Phi Omicron at University of Dubuque) he is named Brett Anderson, so I had to leave my place in Elite Cubs Fan group to welcome him to the Cubs roster. He and I are fifty somethings one from Chicago the other Iowa and both Cubs fans, so I have always tracked Brett Anderson the MLB player, who has had seasons in Oakland near my current residence. He seems an injury prone/ stable BOR kinda guy IF he can retain health. I feel Rondon is done, there seems no room at the Inn for him based on the maelstrom of controversy Maddon brought on by famously working Aroldis waaaay out of his comfort zone in the 5-7 games in the WS. I’m okay with that if Kojii has gas left in the tank. I like the shape the Cubs off season moves leaves the club in! In related news Ian Happ is ready for us to ask what room is there for yet another super sub at this famous Inn at the corner of Sheffield and Waveland Avenues, (Clark and Addison, if you insist!)
I think right now there are some interesting things to watch in Spring Training. Look to see how Montgomery, Anderson and Lackey. I’m not sure I think Lackey has a lot left in the tank. He won 15 games last year and I’m curious if he didn’t get a lot of run support in those games. Don’t know though. And with Jimenez and Happ in spring training makes me wish I was going to Arizona. Your article was thought provoking I enjoyed it.
Thanks Jim! This will be a very interesting spring for sure.