2 Cubs offseason decisions that will payoff, and 1 that will backfire

Cubs offseason decision that will backfire: Signing Jameson Taillon

Did the Cubs really need Jameson Taillon? The 31-year-old free agent starter joins them for the next four seasons on a fair enough deal. It’s not the money or years on the contract we should question. It’s the choice in this particular player.

Taillon joins the Cubs with a lifetime 3.84 ERA. His 107 ERA+ in parts of six big league seasons suggests he’s better than the average starter, but not by all that much. Two years with the New York Yankees did little to help him live up to the hype from his days with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The second-overall pick from the 2010 MLB Draft has a ton of talent and the Cubs were the ones willing to see if he officially blooms next year.

The trouble with adding Taillon is Chicago signed a starter for big money right before a season where they won’t realistically compete. Those innings are better off in the arms of younger or more affordable pitchers. Seeing what a guy like Javier Assad could do in a starting role could have benefitted them more. Committed to $18 million per year from 2024-2026 after a $14 million payday in 2023, it’s quite a lot of money for an arm more fitting for a third spot in a rotation in his best years.

Several young Cubs pitchers looked good in 2022. They deserve every opportunity possible to turn into big league studs. Hayden Wesneski falls deeper on the depth chart because of this signing.

The Cubs may have gotten a little ahead of themselves with the addition of Taillon. They didn’t learn from the Marcus Stroman signing. Now was not the time to strike for a good mid-rotation arm.