For the Chicago Cubs, there are no do-overs. The trade deadline was what it was.
Hopes were high that Chicago could find an impact starting pitcher at the deadline, but the closest thing it found was rental starter Mike Soroka, who went on the injured list after only two innings in a Cubs uniform.
The rotation is awfully thin right now behind Shota Imanaga and Matthew Boyd, and the Cubs are steadily plummeting behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the standings. Is there anything that can get the ship turned in the right direction?
On Thursday, ESPN’s Alden González shared a glimmer of hope that perhaps a pair of right-handers can prove effective in their returns from the injured list.
González wrote a piece on the “most impactful players” set to return from injuries for playoff contenders, and he included Cubs starting pitchers Javier Assad and Jameson Taillon as potential X-factors.
“The Cubs did not land the controllable front-line starter they desired before the trade deadline. The starter they did acquire, Michael Soroka, pitched two innings in his debut on Monday, then landed on the injured list with right shoulder discomfort,” wrote González.
“Now, the Cubs need to make up for what they lack in their rotation internally. Assad fashioned a 3.73 ERA in 29 starts last year and was effective both out of the rotation and in the bullpen in 2023. Taillon, a proven innings eater who consistently pounds the strike zone, is probably as good a complement to Boyd and Imanaga as the Cubs can get.”
Assad has made three rehab starts, so he might be back within the week, while Taillon just made his first one on Sunday. By mid-August, the rotation could look a lot different, but also a lot more like it was supposed to heading into the year.
Simply banking on injured pitchers to get healthy certainly wasn’t what Cubs fans had in mind when the trade deadline was still in front of them. But if it’s the best they can hope for, then it’s a good thing that there are multiple options to choose from.
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