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Chicago Cubs: Potential rotation outlook with a Yu Darvish return
The Chicago Cubs adding Cole Hamels to the mix made manager Joe Maddon tinker the rotation a bit. While set for now, there will likely have to be more changes made when Yu Darvish is ready to go.
On Saturday, the Chicago Cubs announced the team would stick with a five-man rotation for the time being. Tyler Chatwood heads to the pen and Cole Hamels takes his place. The rotation will now consist of Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks, Jose Quintana, Cole Hamels and Mike Montgomery.
Now the question is, when will Yu Darvish be back? And what will Joe Maddon do when he returns? Right now Darvish has been throwing, but is not close to coming back. GM Jed Hoyer said in an interview with 670 the Score that expecting him back soon is probably not happening. However, they expect him to pitch in 2018.
When asked how realistic is is the Cubs get a significant contribution from Darvish this season, Hoyer offered this response:
“It’s realistic … Expecting him back imminently is probably not realistic.”
Right now the rotation is set, but what happens when/if Darvish returns? There are several scenarios to play out, which include remainder of the regular season and postseason if they get there.
Chicago Cubs: What does Darvish bring to the table?
An easy answer would be six-man rotation. If Darvish comes back, and the Cubs have a tough stretch of games in late August and September without many off days, a six-man rotation makes sense. Joe Maddon has done that in the past and is somewhat expected anyway these days.
Now, it may not necessarily play out that way. Obviously injuries could change the course, but also consider Mike Montgomery. After a good start to his string of starts in late-May and June, he has struggled in July with a 5.57 ERA and .360 average against.
He has not started games consecutively this long in his career, so if struggles continue, moving him back to the pen could happen. Right now he is in the rotation still because of the Chatwood struggles. Darvish returns, he is the odd man out if they do not go with six guys.
Chicago Cubs: Is Darvish a legit starter come October?
The postseason is a whole other thing to tackle. A Darvish return would give you five guys to choose from to fit in a four-man postseason rotation. If the season ended today with Darvish out, it is easily a rotation of Lester, Hendricks, Quintana and Hamels. A healthy Darvish gives Maddon something to think about if indeed they make it.
Lester, Quintana and Hendricks are pretty much locks, with that fourth spot up for grabs. On one hand, Darvish was signed to a big contract to perform in the regular season and October. On the other hand, Hamels has tons of postseason experience. In 16 starts he has a 3.48 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and was the 2008 World Series MVP. Can he still be a big-game postseason pitcher? That remains to be seen, but his resume could help his case.
Next. Bryant injury does not spell doom for this team. dark
Overall the biggest two things to evaluate down the stretch are: Darvish’s health/rehab, Hamels’ effectiveness and Montgomery’s effectiveness. One thing is for certain, Yu Darvish will be in the rotation when he returns. He is not going to the bullpen. Either additions or subtractions will be made to the current rotation when he comes back. Maddon will cross that bridge when he gets to it.