Chicago Cubs Bright Young Star May be Odd-Man-Out in Starting Rotation

The Chicago Cubs have such a deep well of starting pitchers that this bright young star from their minor league system might not make the cut.

Jun 8, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Ben Brown (32) pitches against the Cincinnati Reds in the first inning at Great American Ball Park. | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

With Spring Training kicked off for the Chicago Cubs, the franchise is getting excited about what they hope will be a special season.

This winter, the Cubs made a ton of upgrades to the team to once again be the franchise to beat in the National League Central. For the past few years, Chicago has been in the mix for making the postseason but has ultimately come up short.

Now, the team is primed to not only make the playoffs but potentially be a contender in the National League.

Last season, one of the strengths of the team was the starting rotation. The talented trio of Shota Imanaga, Justin Steele, and Jameson Taillon.

As the team heads into 2025, the unit is once again looking strong on paper. Due to the talent currently slated to be in the rotation, one player who might be deserving of a chance to be a starter might be the odd man out.

Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com recently wrote about starting pitcher Ben Brown potentially being used somewhere outside of the rotation in 2025.

“He is seemingly on the outside looking in for a rotation spot, but the quality of his stuff could make him a fixture somewhere on the pitching staff if he's healthy,” he wrote.

Brown was impressive for Chicago in his first season in the Majors. The 25-year-old, Long Island native totaled a 3.58 ERA in 15 appearances with eight of those appearances being as a starter.

With him splitting time between being a starter and coming out of the bullpen, the Cubs tested his ability to do both.

Based on his performance in 2024, the talented right-hander could deserve a shot to be a starter, but barring an injury that seems unlikely.

While Chicago has improved their bullpen quite a bit this winter, moving Brown into a role in the bullpen might help the franchise quite a bit.

Since the 25-year-old missed so much time last season due to a neck injury, the Cubs will also likely be looking to monitor his innings coming back. Luckily, it seems like he is healthy and should be a full-go this spring.

With the ability to strikeout batters with a strong fastball and one of the best breaking balls on the team, coming out of the bullpen in a long-relief role could make a lot of sense.

By doing this, it will allow the Cubs to keep him fairly stretched out if they need him to start games, while always providing some valuable depth in the bullpen.

Even if Brown doesn’t crack the starting rotation on Opening Day, he will be an interesting arm to keep an eye on in 2025 for Chicago.