We got some bad news the other day: Justin Steele will miss the remainder of the season. Yep, another surgery for a starting pitcher in the MLB; this time, it really hurts US. Steele and Shota were our 1-2, 2-1, however you want to put it. Maybe the Boyd move will turn out to be sneaky good, but… Chicago, we have a problem…
It was a nice extra inning win on Tuesday night in San Diego, which was preceded by an ugly bullpen loss. I know we’ve added arms in the pen, but the results thus far have not been great. Thus, a slew of moves made before the game, adjusting the bullpen; 1 game down, 1 game good. That’s a big TBD the rest of the year. However, the big gap that exists now is in our starting rotation; what are we going to do? Yes, the Cubs are in first place right now. They’ve been playing good ball; I’m happy. However, this will not be sustained if we don’t address our starting pitching problem. I did say we should have done more in the offseason, but the Cubs decided to get Tucker and that’s it; we already had an issue in the rotation IMO. But now, without Steele… we need serious help if we’re going to contend through 162.
Speaking of Tucker, that was the big splash in the offseason, and thus far, he’s been everything and more for us. I remember back when the trade was made, the big next step to complete, was to extend him; that wasn’t done. And now, the price is going up, up, up based on Kyle’s performance. We should be happy about this, but instead, we’re worrying about the Cubs extending him, hoping the Cubs stop acting like a mid-market team, and pony up the dough to make us a contender long term… not just one year here and there. But now with the starting pitching in need…
So what? We’re the Chicago Cubs. We’re one of the wealthiest franchises in baseball. Go ahead and get a top line starter. Go ahead and extend Tucker. Why is this something we have to worry about? Because the Cubs are in the business of making money, like everybody else in the MLB, and at the end of the day, that is more important than putting a winning product on the field. But wait, the Cubs are in first place; why are you bitching? I get it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy, but… as I get older, I have to keep it real too; this is not sustainable this year without addressing the rotation. The Cubs will not be as good beyond this year if we don’t extend Tucker. Your move Jed.
In the meantime, how about Shota? Damn did we hit the jackpot on that one. 34 career starts with the Cubs and in half of them… he’s only allowed 1 run or less!!! WTF?!?! Yes, we are lucky to have him. Unfortunately now, without Justin Steele, and no disrespect to the start that Matthew Boyd has had (hope it continues), he’s all we got. Can he pitch every day? Go Cubs!
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