Chicago Cubs: A few potential fits for the final spot in the rotation

Chicago Cubs: Chatwood looking to round out the rotation

The next option comes in the form of Tyler Chatwood. The 30-year-old right-hander definitely has some controversy around his name. After signing his three-year, $38 million deal in 2017, he followed it up with nothing but walks. He led the league in 2018 with 95 walked batters and, to say the least, fans regretted the deal. At one point, the Cubs Instagram page had to disable the comments on their post wishing him a happy birthday. Yep, it was that bad.

However, Chatwood drowned out the noise and committed himself to bouncing back in 2019. He moved to more of a bullpen role but showed great signs of improvement. He was able to bring his walks per nine down to 4.3 from 8.2 and his WHIP down to 1.330 from 1.804. His ERA also improved to 3.76 from the 5.30 he posted in year one of his deal. It’s also worth noting he had a 1.5 WAR last season.

Chatwood is a strong candidate for the fifth starter role, mainly for his experience as a starter and his commitment to success. He went from disrespected in 2018 to someone the team and fans could rally around in 2019. Sure, he has one of highest velocities on the team that could be huge out of the bullpen but seeing if he has what it takes to start again is something the Cubs will most certainly check in on.