Cubs lineup gets huge break with latest Jacob deGrom news

New York Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom asked to have his start pushed back, avoiding the Chicago Cubs’ series.

deGrom just wants more rest for the long haul, which makes sense given his workload. The Mets and all of baseball are coming off a shortened season, so we’ll likely see more of this from top pitchers all around the sport. In the meantime, the Cubs will face off against Joey Lucchesi who, while no slouch, is not Jacob freaking deGrom.

This has nothing to do with deGrom not wanting to face the Cubs, as much as some fans may joke about it. If anything, deGrom is kicking himself for not sucking up an outing on the north side of Chicago. The Cubs’ lineup is one of the worst in baseball at the moment, combining for a sub-Mendoza line batting average.

Jacob deGrom’s health is important to the Mets, and the Cubs dodged a bullet

deGrom’s long-term health is most important here. In the meantime, the Cubs offense looks to get back on track against Joey Lucchesi. The 28-year-old is 0-1 on the young season with a 5.48 ERA.

The Cubs face a number of lingering questions themselves, especially with stars Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez and Kris Bryant all nearing the end of their contracts. Bryant seems like a goner, as he’s performing well enough to fetch some collateral on the trade market. Baez will want a large contract on the free agent market, as he’s one of the better shortstops in the game. Rizzo, meanwhile, is a lifelong Cub, but the team might not value him anywhere near market value based on their first offer to him.

None of this is fun for Cubs fans, but it would’ve been even worse had they been facing deGrom.