Chicago Cubs: Which starting pitcher is the most important moving forward?

The entire Chicago Cubs starting rotation are under contract through at least 2020. Which one will be most important to the Cubs moving forward?

There is an argument to be made for every single starter. Jon Lester, since he signed has really been the de facto leader of the pitching staff and the machine that makes the Chicago Cubs rotation go – especially come October.

Kyle Hendricks at this point is a seasoned vet and knows how to pitch in the major leagues. He has quietly been one of the more elite arms since his debut in 2014. In his big league career, he carries a sterling 2.95 ERA across more than 100 starts.

Yu Darvish is the obvious one. Some will say that the Cubs took a gamble signing Darvish to a six-year contract at 31. Albeit there is an opt-out after two years, but at 33, Darvish would be foolish to take the opt-out. It’s up to Darvish to show the Cubs and their fans it was the right decision.

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Jose Quintana was brought to the Cubs for potential superstar Eloy Jimenez and top pitching prospect Dylan Cease.

Many Cubsds fans were skeptical of the deal because of the potential of the aforementioned players. If Quintana turns into an ace and wins a Cy Young, the trade becomes moot, especially if the Cubs make Quintana a Cub for life with a contract extension. Most of the entire Cubs’ team becomes free agents at the same time, and they’ll have to keep a few around.

Tyler Chatwood has shown his raw stuff, and it’s gotten him through this year, but the walks could be killer moving forward. Being only a fifth starter, his results are more than okay right now, but if he can take the next step then the Cubs become the best rotation in baseball.

The most important pitcher

The answer is Jose Quintana. The left-hander is the most important pitcher not only because of the reasons mentioned above, but he is the fourth starter in this rotation, but he is also the most durable pitcher the Cubs have. Having made 30+ starts five years in a row, you know what you will get at this point in his career.

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Lester/Hendricks/Darvish is a very formidable top three. Quintana is already really good, but taking the next step to elite would make the Cubs that much more formidable as a team.