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CHICAGO — Jameson Taillon was able to watch one of Cade Horton’s latest moments while the pitchers were at the Chicago for Cubs Convention this weekend. The veteran righty also looked to new rotation partner Edward Cabrera who plays catch.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
“All these guys make me feel bad about myself with their speed and stuff,” Taillon said. “We’ll definitely have more in the rotation. That’s really exciting.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Building the Cubs’ rotation depth — and bringing in more strikeout prospects — was high on the front office’s list of priorities this offseason. By the time the team’s annual fan celebration arrived at the Sheraton Grand Chicago, baseball president Jed Hoyer had addressed those activities.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
The acquisition of Cabrera and his high-octane arm from the Marlins earlier this month was a big piece of the puzzle — which cost three prospects, including outfielder Owen Caissie. The Cubs also went through a series of contract negotiations with Lefty Shota Imanaga, which ended with him accepting a one-year qualifying offer to stay in the bullpen until 2026.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
The Cubs re-signed veteran righty Colin Rea as a depth option to replace the bullpen, a role he filled admirably last summer. As things stand, Rea will be behind the big five of Matthew Boyd, Cabrera, Horton, Imanaga and Taillon. Then Justin Steele was left on his way back in the first half.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
“It’s pretty deep,” Steele said of the changing squad. “I’d say we’ve got eight to 10 guys that can go out and get the ball on any given day and you’re going to feel pretty good about your chances of winning a football game that day. Especially with the defense we have at the back now.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
“There’s a lot of gold behind you playing defense, so you feel good when the ball is in play. I feel really good about the depth of the field we have this year.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Javier Assad, Ben Brown and Jordan Wicks will be next on the depth chart, making them candidates for the rotation, bullpen or Triple-A Iowa to open the season. Top 100 prospect Jaxon Wiggins (No. 67 overall, per MLB Pipeline) is also on the radar, as he came up to Triple-A last year to close out the game on the farm.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Neither Cubs manager Craig Counsell nor Hoyer will ever say the team has enough games, but the foundation now looks solid to start the season. By the time the Cubs reached the National League Division Series in October, the rotation had been decimated by injuries, poor performance and the construction of a playoff roster.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
“It would have been difficult to do a seven-game series [after the NLDS]”Hoyer said during a panel Saturday morning at Cubs Con. “So that was one of our main focuses, was the focus on pitching and swinging and missing. That was Cabrera’s original request. \u2026 I think in 2026, the pitching battle is a bit of a battle, and you have to build a lot in the offseason to be able to last 162 games. “<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Horton — one of the better pitchers in the second half last season (1.03 ERA) and runner-up for the NL Rookie of the Year Award — is back to full strength after a rib injury kept him out of the playoffs. Steele, who had elbow surgery in April, resumed pitching in October and returned to the mound for the first time since the surgery on Friday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Boyd is coming off his first All-Star appearance and posted a 3.21 ERA in 31 starts last year. Taillon finished his season with a solid run (1.85 ERA in his last seven outings) and became Chicago’s best starter in October. Imanaga has had a rocky season, but is a year removed from being an All-Star and Cy Young Award contender.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
And now the Cubs have Cabrera, who struck out 150 in 137 2\/3 innings with a 3.53 ERA and posted a 2.22 ERA in 16 games between May 4 and Aug. 8.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
“I think this is a bowl that will come in his best years,” Counsell said. “He’s got talent. He’s got some innings under his belt, which is just experience. He’s getting better. And I think he’s ready to … improve and take another step forward.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Horton liked the Cubs’ pitching staff.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
“It’s big for us, just to add another arm of strength,” Horton said. “It’s going to be really good for us. Then there’s the depth — it’s going to play really well in October. So, I’m really excited. I’m glad everybody’s coming back. We were so close last year.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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