Bleacher Bums Forum

Taillon being skipped in the rotation.  Lots of reclamation projects on the books for next year among the SP.

As the pre-mortem begins with the Cubs collapse, I think the most obvious reason for it is gravity.  The team is finding its level.  Ross’ old-school meathead approach can be a problem - “rest is for losers, ride the guys the guys that got you here” has contributed to the mental and physical breakdowns for sure.  But mostly I think it’s just a more accurate picture of where this roster is.  Lots of work to be done to make it into a real contender next season.

2024 Starting Pitching.

Mooney:

….It appears to be highly likely that Stroman will opt into his $21 million salary for next season.

….As long as Hendricks stays healthy, it looks like a foregone conclusion that the Cubs will pick up their $16.5 million option on his contract rather than pay him a $1.5 million buyout

And I suddenly feel really old realizing that Summers barely made the ‘50 years’ cut…

2024 Starting Pitching.

Mooney:

….It appears to be highly likely that Stroman will opt into his $21 million salary for next season.

….As long as Hendricks stays healthy, it looks like a foregone conclusion that the Cubs will pick up their $16.5 million option on his contract rather than pay him a $1.5 million buyout

Not sure how I feel about that.  Part of me thinks the preferred case would be to sign a single big-ticket ace, if such a hypothetical man actually exists?  NOT having Stroman/Hendricks back would clear $38.2.  *IF* you exchanged Hendricks+Stroman for Ace, you could then roll a rotation with Ace-Steele-Assad-Wicks-Taillon, with  Horton approaching, and with Smyly and Wesneski and Ben Brown as depth possibilities. 

Alternatively, if you kept Hendricks but still replaced Stroman with an ace, you could then have Ace-Steele-Assad-Hendricks-Wicks, with Taillon as 6th starter, with  Horton approaching, Smyly as crisis man, and Ben Brown as hope-he-breaks-out depth?

I'm thinking that *IF* Stroman and Hendricks both come back, Hoyer will be unlike to sign a big-ticket ace. 
- Lux-wise, Stroman $23.7, Taillon 17, Hendricks 16, Smyly 9.5.  That's $66.2 burned, with $39.7 on Stroman/Hendricks. 

Cubs have kinda never had a surplus of starters.  Stroman-Taillon-Hendricks-Steele-Assad-Wicks, that would be 6, before Horton or Brown, and without including Steele or obviously Wesneski.  Between young guys whose arms we don't want to kill, plus old veterans whose arms tend to go dead with usage, I wonder if you wouldn't actually want to plan in some two-week rests for each guy?  Rather than wanting 32 starts for 5 guys, what if you planned 25 starts for 6 or 7 guys?  Not necessarily a 6-day rotation like Wicks is used to from minors.  But what if Taillon is long relief early on, but then you figure to give Stroman starts 11+12 off, Steele 13 + 14; Wicks 15+16; Assad 17+18; Hendricks 19+20; Taillon 21+22; Stroman 23+24; Steele 25+26, Wicks 27+28; Assad 29+30? 
Basically after the spring, avoid having anybody go 20 starts without getting a two-week rest?  Perhaps after the first half, maybe avoid having anybody go even a dozen starts straight without skipping a start or two? 

With old guys, I'm remembering like Jon Lester, it would often seem that even if he started strong, by mid-June he was dragging, and there was dead-arm talk leading into the all-star break.  I think Steele's DL may have actually been a blessing-in-disguise this season. I also wonder if Assad, after almost two months now in rotation, whether he might now be hitting dead-arm world?  Maybe just proactively plan in more two-week rests, and make sure nobody is ever going 20 starts without a two-week break?