Chicago Cubs: Making predictions for the 2019 starting rotation

Unless there is a surprising move made, the Chicago Cubs starting rotation for 2019 is more or less set. How will they perform next year?

One of the biggest strengths on the Chicago Cubs roster on paper going into 2018 was the starting rotation. Inconsistencies and injuries resulted in their performance being overall disappointing, however still solid as they finished pretty strong.

The rotation for 2019 will pretty much be the same but will see Cole Hamels and Yu Darvish both active simultaneously for the first time. Hopefully, the rotation is much more consistent and healthy next year because they will need it. The bullpen had to work very hard and, like 2017, it fizzled out toward the end of the year due to heavy usage with starters not going deep into games.

Time for some early predictions. People pretty much know what they are capable of when healthy, but it is also important to factor in age and health when looking ahead. These predictions will focus on the main five guys: Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks, Cole Hamels, Jose Quintana and Yu Darvish. These will also be “best-case scenario” predictions – which, if we’re being honest, are the best kind, right?