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

With uncertainty around who will fill out the Chicago Cubs starting rotation, we take a look at a few potential options for final spot on the staff.

When Cole Hamels signed a one-year, $18 million deal with the Atlanta Braves this offseason, the Cubs ended up with a hole to fill in the final spot in the starting rotation. The Chicago staff, as a whole – both the rotation and the bullpen – come with a degree of uncertainty as camp opens in Mesa.

Of course, most people are more focused on that bullpen, as well as the glaring needs in both center field and second base than the starting five. That being said, the starters arguably have the most to prove. Yu Darvish and Kyle Hendricks will headline the staff and should provide consistency and dominance, while Jon Lester, Jose Quintana and the mystery starter will have much to prove.

Time will tell what we’ll get from those four guys. But let’s focus on what the team’s most likely options for that final spot look like and see who stands out from the rest of the pack.

The first arm that has a chance is a new face by the name of Jharel Cotton. Chicago acquired the 28-year-old right-hander in a trade with the Oakland Athletics earlier this winter. In two seasons with the A’s, Cotton went 11-10 with a 4.95 in 29 starts. His two best pitches are his sinker and cutter and he falls right in line with the rest of the Cubs staff in terms of average velocity.

Cotton brings an intriguing option to this group and should have an opportunity to prove himself for the last spot in the rotation. With a smaller sample size, considering 24 of his 29 career starts came last season, he’ll undoubtedly have plenty of eyes on him in Mesa this spring.

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.