The Chicago Cubs are watching starting pitchers drop like flies all around them and are reportedly making contingency plans to cover their own bases.
Notably, the New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, and Seattle Mariners have all recently felt the sting of injury to prominent starters.
The Cubs, with an earlier than usual opening day series in Japan against the Los Angeles Dodgers, may be concerned about the change affecting the health and general preparedness of their players, especially the all-important pieces of their starting rotation.
Chicago Cubs Have Veteran Starters “On Their Radar”
That’s why a recent report from Ken Rosenthal and Patrick Mooney of The Athletic shouldn’t really be all that surprising.
According to sources, the Cubs have a pair of so far unsigned free agent veteran starters– Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn– “on their radar.”
Per The Athletic:
“Even the Chicago Cubs, relatively healthy at the moment, are among the clubs seeking potential rotation help, a search that might intensify depending on how they fare in their season-opening series against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Tokyo on March 18-19…
The Cubs are keeping Gibson and Lynn on their radar in case issues arise after the team’s early ramp-up for spring training and long trip to Japan, sources say…
At the moment, the Cubs aren’t in a position to promise Gibson or Lynn a spot in their rotation, much less guarantee that either pitcher would make the major-league club by a certain date. But the seemingly nonstop injury news coming out of Arizona and Florida means all 30 clubs will continue looking for pitching. Even ones that appear to be set.”
A Pair of Workhorses On The Market
Gibson and Lynn, both 37 and coming off one-year stints with the St. Louis Cardinals, have built reputations as workhorses over the course of their careers. Gibson has averaged more than 30 starts per season in ten full seasons (excluding rookie year and abbreviated 2020 season) while Lynn has averaged about 29.5 starts in eleven full seasons (also excluding rookie year and 2020).
Last year, Gibson finished with a 4.24 ERA in 30 starts/169.2 innings while Lynn posted a 3.84 ERA in 23 starts/117.1 innings.
The two veterans should find contracts before the start of the regular season, given the rash of starting pitching injuries and just the general need for major league-level arms with proven track records.
The State Of The Cubs’ Starting Rotation
On the surface, the Cubs seem fine when it comes to starting pitching depth with a front four consisting of Shota Imanaga, Justin Steele, Jameson Taillon, and Matthew Boyd. Chicago’s fifth rotation slot has been the subject of debate since it was announced that Javier Assad would begin the season on the injured list due to oblique issues.
Assad, however, appears to be progressing nicely and there’s considerable depth behind the young pitcher in the persons of Colin Rea, Ben Brown, Jordan Wicks, and Brad Keller.
Still, starting pitching depth will be important in what the Cubs hope to be a playoff-bound 2025. Aside from the natural unpredictability of a long 162-game season, where fluke injuries abound, there’s also some legitimate concern over the durability of key rotation pieces.
Boyd, for example, is just about a year-and-half removed from Tommy John surgery and only pitched a total of 51.1 innings, between regular season and postseason, with the Cleveland Guardians in 2024. Assad’s current impairment and Brown’s neck injury of last season, which led to the team shutting him down in June, are also points of concern.
It should be interesting how the market opens up for pitchers like Gibson and Lynn and which teams grab at them out of either necessity or for insurance. Whatever the case, the Cubs are apparently in the picture.
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