Cubs scapegoats: 1 to fire, 1 to put on the hot seat, 1 to be patient with

The Cubs scapegoat to put on the hot seat: Jameson Taillon

The Cubs picked up Jameson Taillon in the offseason, giving him a four-year, $68 million contract. It felt like a good move at the time. He was coming off a 14-5 season with the Yankees with a 3.91 WRA in 32 starts.

It’s all gone terribly wrong.

Taillon is 0-3 in eight starts (the team hasn’t won a game he’s started) and the good ones have been more rare than the bad ones. His ERA is 8.04, with four or more runs allowed in each of his last four starts.

In late April Taillon suffered a groin strain. He’s returned from that ailment but it certainly hasn’t helped him settle in. His stint on the IL came right after his best start of the season — he pitched five scoreless innings in a loss to the Dodgers on April 15.

Considering the contract and completely tanked trade value, the Cubs have no choice but to proceed with Taillon. Still, his seat in the rotation is going to be heating up unless he puts in a few solid performances on the mound. If he doesn’t, it may be time to send him back to the IL for a spell because clearly something isn’t right with the pitcher.