Taillon joins deep group of Cubs starting pitchers
Before packing up and heading to spring training, manager David Ross scanned the Cubs' roster and was feeling pretty good.
Stopping at the starting rotation, Ross perked up even more.
"This is probably the best pitching depth we've had for a really long time," he said.
Jameson Taillon was the big addition for the Cubs over the winter and he joins a deep group of arms.
After going 14-5 with a 3.91 ERA in 32 starts for the Yankees last season, Taillon signed a four-year, $68 million contract with the Cubs.
He'll bolster a rotation that returns Marcus Stroman, Drew Smyly and Justin Steele, with Hayden Wesneski, Javier Assad and Adrian Sampson competing for the No. 5 spot.
Taillon has been working on his slider and curveball during spring training. After having Tommy John operations in 2014 and 2019, health is no longer a major concern.
"Knock on wood, since that second elbow surgery I've never missed a bullpen, never missed a day of throwing," the 31-year-old righty said. "I don't have to take the anti-inflammatories to make it to my next start. I don't feel like I'm in that survival mode anymore.
"I feel like I'm fully healthy. It's kind of gifted a new lease on baseball."
While Taillon was in New York last season, Cubs starters combined to post a 2.89 ERA after the all-star break. In major-league baseball, only the Astros and Dodgers were better.
Stroman was 4-2 with a 2.71 ERA in the second half, Smyly was 5-3 with a 2.83 ERA, Steele was 1-1, 0.98 and Wesneski was 1-1, 2.19.
Getting contributions from so many young pitchers coming up from Class AAA Iowa was particularly satisfying for the Cubs.
"It was a good feeling for a few months to watch those guys come up and succeed," president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said. "The execution of what we were trying to accomplish was really good. Now, we need to continue to prove that year after year and continue to build on that."
In his first full season with the Cubs, Steele was a big surprise.
A fifth-round draft pick in 2014 out of George County (Miss.) High School, the left-hander was 4-7 with a 3.18 ERA over 24 starts. Steele likely slots in as the Cubs' No. 3 starter this year behind Stroman and Taillon.
It's been a tough spring for the 27-year-old Steele. In addition to walking 6 in his first 7⅔ Cactus League innings, he's been dealing with arm fatigue.
Kyle Hendricks has been a big part of the Cubs' rotation since 2014, and the right-hander is hoping to make an impact again this year.
Shut down for the season last July with a capsular tear in his throwing (right) shoulder, Hendricks has been limited to throwing bullpens in training camp but he's getting close to throwing live batting practice.
If he's ready to pitch in May, the Cubs would be happy.
"The most important thing is getting him back to pitching like Kyle Hendricks," Hoyer said. "We're willing to wait a little while for that."