Chicago Cubs: Potential rotation options while Brett Anderson is out

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May 6, 2017; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Brett Anderson (37) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the New York Yankees at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports /

After a second-straight start in which he failed to pitch past the second, the Brett Anderson experiment is beginning to look a little grim.

The Chicago Cubs signed Brett Anderson to a one-year, incentive-laden deal prior to the 2016 season with the idea that he would hold up the back-end of the rotation until 2018. Six starts in, that plan isn’t quite working out.

In those half-dozen starts, Anderson has only managed to pitch 22 innings, averaging less than four innings per start. You don’t need your fifth man to be a dominant force, but you certainly need more than what Anderson contributed.

On the season he’s 2-2 with an 8.18 ERA and a 2.09 WHIP. Against Philadelphia last week, Anderson threw 43 pitches and was pulled with just one out in the second inning after giving up seven earned runs. Saturday’s start against the New York Yankees didn’t get any better. The left-hander could only get through a third of an inning before exiting the game with lower back tightness.

Injuries abound for lefty

Anderson has had an injury-riddled career, having reached the 170 innings mark only twice in his eight major league seasons. He had Tommy John surgery in 2011 and back surgery in 2016. He also suffered a number of other minor injuries throughout his career.

The statistics show that Anderson is a good, efficient pitcher when healthy. But that’s the catch. He misses significant time almost every season. You never know how a pitcher will look returning from a major injury. It is concerning to see Anderson leave with a back injury after having back surgery just a year prior.

With Anderson now headed to the DL, the Chicago Cubs will have to find a replacement for him in the rotation. It’s not yet clear how much time he’ll miss. But the security of his rotation spot when he does return is more than a little questionable.

Eddie Butler

Despite having one of the youngest lineups in baseball, the Chicago Cubs currently feature the oldest rotation in the league. A trade for a young, effective and cost-controlled starter is something the fans have wanted for a while. I think the organization will try to do something on that front at some point this season.

But for now, an in-house option might be the best way to go.

Look no further than Eddie Butler. Acquired via trade with the Colorado Rockies during the offseason, he is viewed as a reclamation project. A former top prospect and first-round pick for the Rockies, Butler’s potential never materialized into success. Having only pitched 159 1/3 career innings at the big league level, he is still something of a mystery. At 26-years-old, there’s still a chance for him yet; and he could be just what the Cubs need right now.

Butler pitched well during Spring Training and has looked impressive at the Triple-A level in Iowa this season. With the Iowa Cubs, Butler is 1-0 with a 1.17 ERA over the course of 30 2/3 innings pitched across five starts. With a 1.11 WHIP and a 3.52 FIP, Butler looks ready for the majors again.

With Anderson missing time, this could be Butler’s chance.

Mike Montgomery

Another in-house option is long-man Mike Montgomery. The Cubs traded for Montgomery at the deadline last season, sending slugging prospect Daniel Vogelbach to the Seattle Mariners in return for the left-hander. He has been an extremely valuable asset for the Cubs, both in the bullpen and as a starter.

Chicago Cubs

He made five starts for the Cubs last season, and before being traded to Chicago he made 18 starts over the course of his career with the Mariners. So the experience is definitely there. But there are legitimate concerns with moving him into the rotation as well.

If he were to take over as a starter, even just in the interim, Brian Duensing would then be the Cubs’ sole lefty in the bullpen. Montgomery’s effectiveness in the bullpen has been crucial to the team’s success, and he sees a pretty significant drop in fastball velocity when he’s pitching as a starter. He could perform well as a starter, but if you remove him from the bullpen, that only creates an additional problem for the Cubs.

Remember, the Cubs still had left-hander Travis Wood in the bullpen when Montgomery was making starts. They shouldn’t expect to get that type of reliability out of Duensing.

Apr 30, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Chris Archer (22) during MLB game action against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Sousa-USA TODAY Sports /

Making a trade

As mentioned earlier, I believe the Cubs will make a trade for a starting pitcher, but not immediately. This is a move you could likely expect to happen sometime in July. The way things are going, it seems almost inevitable that the Cubs will be aggressive on the trade market. John Lackey has been terrible and the fifth spot remains a mystery for the time being.

Despite having called up a slew of talented young players in the last two years, the Cubs still have a fairly strong farm system. Chicago has a number of highly-touted prospects right now, and they may not be too reluctant to deal them.

Just be prepared if and when they do.

Remember what the Cubs had to give up to get Aroldis Chapman? And he was only a closer. Consider this: with multiple years left on his contract, the Yankees reportedly wanted Kyle Schwarber and top prospects for Andrew Miller. If they wanted that much for a reliever with multiple contract years, what do you think teams will be demanding for cost-controlled, young starters?

If the Cubs were to go after someone like Chris Archer, you could expect to say goodbye to any of Ian Happ, Jeimer Candelario, Victor Caratini or Eloy Jimenez. It also wouldn’t come as a surprise to see someone like Javier Baez as part of that type of deal.

This isn’t to say the Cubs will only trade for a top-line young guy, but they look to be in a position to trade for someone.

Mar 14, 2017; Mesa, AZ, USA; (EDITORS NOTE: caption correction – Brewers player misidentified in original) Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Brett Anderson (37) throws in the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers during a spring training game at Sloan Park. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports /

Anderson’s role may not be over yet

Brett Anderson may be on thin ice, but I don’t think the Cubs are quite ready to give up on him entirely. When he comes back from the DL, don’t be surprised if the Cubs insert him into the rotation again.

Ideally you’d like to see what he can do while fully healthy. Whether or not he reaches that point is anybody’s guess. It’s not likely you’ll see Anderson in the bullpen at any point, either, so this is basically a starter-or-bust scenario for him.

The Cubs’ investment in Anderson wasn’t a risky one, but if there’s still a chance they could capitalize on it, they might give him a little longer.

The leash is short and getting shorter, but expect to see Anderson get a couple more starts to prove himself when he comes back off the DL.

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