Spring breaks: A few early concerns for Cubs, Sox

The first rule of spring training is the games mean nothing.

Players compete against both major and minor leaguers, while the primary goal is to get in shape and smooth out some kinks. But concerns can be expressed.

A glaring one for the Cubs was the performance of pitcher Jameson Taillon, who finished Cactus League play with a 17.55 ERA, to go with 10 home runs allowed in 13 innings.

Taillon made five starts for the Cubs, one for Team Canada. In Arizona, he allowed 2 home runs in all five starts, and all were short outings. Four of the homers came on four-seam fastballs, and three on cutters.

The velocity was down slightly this spring. Taillon's four-seam averaged 91.6 and 91.4 miles per hour the past two games, compared to 92.3 in each of the last two seasons.

StatCast measures velocity by inning. In last week's outing against the Athletics, Taillon's fastball was down to 89.8 mph by the fourth, which doesn't sound good. In his first regular season start last year, his velocity increased after the first inning.

Last year when Taillon tossed 4 scoreless innings against San Diego in the wild card series, he coaxed 11 swings and misses. Against the Athletics last week, that number was three.

The Cubs were already keeping a close eye on Shota Imanaga after his late-season fade in '25. That's gone a little better, with a 4.50 ERA and 5 home runs in 18 innings.

Imanaga had a nice performance Monday against the Yankees’ regular lineup, allowing 2 runs on 7 hits and no home runs over 5 innings, while throwing his sweeper more than usual. His velocity is up slightly from late last year, but location might be more important. To have success, Imanaga needs to hit the top of the zone with his four-seam. Waist-high on the inside corner often ended up in the seats.

Imanaga ($22 million) and Taillon ($18 million) are both well-paid, so the Cubs won't make any rash decisions. But manager Craig Counsell announced Ben Brown will open the season on the major-league roster, giving the Cubs two long relievers in Brown and Colin Rea. One for each trouble spot.

Sox juggling prospects

The White Sox have plenty of challenges ahead, and one is having so many prospects maturing at the same time.

Second baseman Sam Antonacci grabbed the spotlight while playing for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic, raising questions about whether Chase Meidroth is the best option as second baseman of the future.

Well, Antonacci, who finished last season in Double A, may not be the best second base prospect in the system. William Bergolla, who played shortstop in Double A Birmingham last year, also had a nice spring, collecting 3 hits in the Spring Breakout Game against the Dodgers over the weekend.

How will the White Sox give all three a fair shot to show they belong in the majors? We'll see, and the same issue will crop up at shortstop.

It seems safe to say Colston Montgomery will eventually slide over to third base, with Miguel Vargas going to first base or outfield. The Sox had No. 3 prospect Caleb Bonemer playing both third and short in Single A last year and he could move up the ranks quickly.

Last year's top pick, Billy Carlson, was thought to be the best defensive shortstop in last year's draft; then presumed 2026 top overall pick Roch Cholowsky, currently playing shortstop for UCLA, may not need much time in the minors.

The obvious answer is to hope they all develop well and worry about it when the time comes, but Sox management will have to make critical decisions on several top prospects in the next few years.

Right call for right field

The Cubs made it official Monday, right fielder Seiya Suzuki will begin the season on the injured list while recovering from the right knee sprain suffered in the WBC.

For Thursday's home opener against Washington, Matt Shaw is the likely candidate to start in right field, because the Cubs want his bat in the lineup, while using Moises Ballesteros at designated hitter. When it happens, it will be Shaw's first official major-league inning spent in the outfield.

The Cubs are also keeping Michael Conforto, and now have an extra roster spot without Suzuki. Dylan Carlson and Chas McCormick are two veteran nonroster additions who could make the cut. Justin Dean, who has less MLB experience, may also be in the mix.

Let's examine this question: Who is the best choice defensively for right field? Shaw is a complete wild card since he hasn't done it yet.

To judge the rest of the group, Fielding Run Value on fangraphs.com is a useful tool, because it can create a multiyear data set.

Best outfield defense, from 2021-25, there's a clear winner — McCormick. The former Astro is a plus-24 in the FRV metric. Suzuki is minus-8, Carlson -10 and Conforto -14.

Carlson played plenty of center field during his time with the Cardinals, while McCormick was in center and left more than right field. So let's try this: FRV in right field only from 2021-25.

McCormick still wins that one with a plus-6, but Conforto moves up to second place at minus-2. Suzuki and Carlson are both minus-8. For comparison's sake, Kyle Tucker is a plus-6.

Counsell said the Cubs have not yet decided who will fill Suzuki's roster spot. For a team built on defense, McCormick could get consideration.