Cubs Boss Craig Counsell Jokingly Dodges Question About His Staff Ace

Want to see a Major League manager dodge a question, even with good humor? Ask him at the end of February who his staff ace will be.

Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell couldn’t get out of the way of that question fast enough.

“You're not going to get me to answer that,” he said with a smile during an interview with MLB Network earlier this week.

If last year’s starting rotation was all about trying to keep it together due to injuries, this year’s staff has been all about giving Counsell options and backups for inevitable injuries. He can fill out his lineup card with seven healthy starting options, along with two swing options out of the bullpen.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

There’s even the possibility of getting left-hander Justin Steele back sometime in the first half of the season, now that his surgically repaired left elbow has been cleared by his surgeon.

“What’s good is that you’re thinking about a number of people, so we have a number of people that we can answer that question with, and that’s what makes a good starting rotation,” Counsell said.

Craig Counsell on the Cubs rotation

Counsell was asked the most about new starter Edward Cabrera, who was acquired by trade in January. Counsell and the Cubs believe he’s about to turn the corner as a starter.

“We feel like he’s in that sweet spot in his career where he's had four years of Major League experience and he started kind of turning the corner last year,” Counsell said. “We felt like his talent is top of the echelon type and that’s why we made the trade.”

Who is the ace of the Cubs?

Craig Counsell: "You're not going to get me to answer that." 😂

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The rest of the healthy arms include Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon, Matthew Boyd, Cade Horton, Colin Rea and Javier Assad. Two long relievers — Jordan Wicks and Ben Brown — can fill in to start, too. That’s before one gets to Steele.

During the interview, Counsell called out Boyd and Horton, in particular, for their performances last year.

“Boyd had a heck of a year last year,” Counsell said. “Cade Horton .. you know, people say, ‘Well, what more can Cade Horton do?’ I’m not sure you really need to do more than what he did last year.”

Boyd was an All-Star last year for the first time and finished 14-8 with a 3.21 ERA. Horton was a rookie a season ago and went 11-4 with a 2.67 ERA to finish second in National League rookie of the year voting.

Cubs pitcher Cade Horton | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

Counsell sees the competition for spots as a good thing for the regular season.

“We have some guys that have set really high bars for themselves, and they’ve put up some standards that are going to be fun to ask them to live up to again,” he said.