Last Place Chicago Cubs Have Just One Option When It Comes to Taillon
In this story:
The Chicago Cubs are in last place in the National League Central after falling to the Cincinnati Reds for the second time in as many days on Saturday night.
Jameson Taillon took the mound for the Cubs and allowed four earned runs in 4.2 innings pitched. He has now lost all eight of his starts this season, "tied for the third-most consecutive losses when a pitcher starts to begin a season in Cubs history," according to ESPN Stats and Info.
It's been an abysmal start to the season for the once dependable pitcher who was widely known as having plus-stuff and a reliable record.
Whoever that pitcher is or was, is not the one Chicago received when they signed him to a four-year, $68 million contract.
Signed to be the "guy" in the rotation, Taillon is now nothing but a liability and his performances have played a large part of putting the Cubs squarely in last place.
But, what can Chicago do? What are the options?
There is but one option: Ride it out while trying to fix him.
You can't DFA Taillon eight starts into a four-year contract. That is a knee jerk reaction.
You can't send him to Triple-A, those who think it can happen are sadly misinformed.
Taillon has absolutely no trade value right, so a trade at the deadline seems unlikely.
Sending him to the bullpen doesn't solve the long-term issue. You can't send a high-priced starter to the bullpen in his first year and hope he magically turns it around.
While the division isn't necessarily out of reach, being in last place in perhaps the worst division in baseball doesn't bode well for the club.
In terms of return on investment and long-term success, Chicago will have to ride this spell out with Taillon in hopes that he can regain form and find success once again.
It may be a painful process.
More From SI's Inside The Cubs
- Could Mike Trout Request a Trade to the Chicago Cubs?
- Did David Robertson Net the Cubs a Future Star in Ben Brown?
- Hoerner is the Cubs Shortstop of the Future
- Cubs Could Give Canario a Shot in September
- Could the Cubs Land Trea Turner in the Offseason?
- Chicago Cubs Have a New Top Prospect in Their Rankings
- Is This Top Cubs Prospect Destined for the Mound at Wrigley?
- Steele Offers Glimpse Into Future of Cubs Rotation
- Do the Chicago Cubs Have the National League's Best Bullpen?
- Can Christopher Morel be a Long-Term Solution in Center Field
