Chicago Cubs will deploy a five-man rotation moving forward

Some believed the Chicago Cubs would opt for a six-man rotation with Cole Hamels added to the mix. Instead, they’ll stick with a traditional five-man staff.

Although Joe Maddon did not make things immediately clear on Friday, he clarified one important aspect of his team heading into August. The Chicago Cubs will go with a typical five-man starting rotation over the final two months.

As to who’s included in that rotation, at least as of Saturday morning, is anybody’s guess.

There are three ‘shoo-ins’, if you will. Jon Lester, who has anchored the staff all season, along with Kyle Hendricks and Jose Quintana – both of whom have struggled with consistency. In a hypothetical postseason series, you’d think these three guys all get the ball.

When the Cubs went out and added Cole Hamels, the futures of Mike Montgomery and Tyler Chatwood got a lot murkier. You assume Hamels takes one of the remaining two spots in the rotation given his experience and make-up.

But what’s the better decision for the final spot? The erratic, but high-upside Chatwood? Or do you go with Montgomery, who helped stabilize the rotation in wake of the injury to Yu Darvish.