MLB Rumors: Red Sox Ohtani favorites, Cubs rotation shake-up, Mariners surge
- Mariners have surged to top of AL West at a historic pace
- Cubs are finally making a change to their rotation
- Red Sox among the favorites to sign Shohei Ohtani
MLB Rumors: Cubs make long-awaited switch to rotation
If nothing else, Chicago Cubs has been extremely stressful over the past few weeks. Though things like Marcus Stroman's injury have factored into that, the heated NL Wild Card race has been at the heart of it, especially with the Cubs ultimately middling in light of that, going just 6-4 in their last 10 games.
Entering the weekend, Chicago is still holding onto the third wild card spot in the National League (4.0 games back of the Brewers in the NL Central), but with the San Francisco Giants and Cincinnati Reds just one game behind them and the Marlins still lurking 2.5 games back.
That has made every decision that manager David Ross has made this season, particularly over this recent stretch, highly scrutinized. And one of the most frustrating things fans have lamented is veteran lefty Drew Smyly continuing to hold his spot in the rotation despite having an 8.33 ERA and 1.56 since the All-Star break.
Thankfully, that's coming to an end.
On Friday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reported that Smyly, who was initially slated to start on Sunday in Pittsburgh, will instead move to the bullpen with a new starter entering the fray who has yet to be announced. For what it's worth, Smyly is handling the move like a veteran, saying, "You can't have an ego" about moves like this when you're struggling.
As for who takes Smyly's spot in the rotation, that has yet to be determined. Fans are hoping for young Jordan Wicks to get his shot, but we could look at a bullpen game, or a number of other options. In the end, though, this has felt like the right move for some time, and it's mercifully now taking shape.