Cubs: 3 storylines to watch as pitchers and catchers report

Cubs: Will Adbert Alzolay start or come out of the bullpen?

One of the key figures to watch as the Cubs begin this transitory period is right-hander Adbert Alzolay.

The 25-year-old showed promising stuff in 2020, posting a 2.95 ERA and 3.05 FIP in 21.1 innings. Alzolay struck out 12.2 opponents per nine innings, and opponents hit just .028 against his slider. His velocity and breaking stuff project well, especially with a changeup that is especially effective against left-handed hitters.

However, it is unknown whether Alozlay will be in the rotation or the bullpen to start the season.

Conventional wisdom would suggest Alzolay gets a rotation spot, even after the Cubs signed Williams and Arrieta. It seems more likely Chicago sends Alec Mills back to the bullpen, given some of the team’s needs in the middle innings. Plus, the Cubs want to give Alzolay the chance to extend himself and throw more innings if he is to be a future rotation staple.

That said, there is a chance manager David Ross uses Alzolay in a similar capacity to Los Angeles Dodgers arms like Dustin May or Julio Urias, both of whom are capable of starting or throwing multiple innings out of the bullpen.

Cubs: Team needs Jake Arrieta and Trevor Williams to be effective

Chicago is placing a good deal of stock in both Jake Arrieta and Trevor Williams being capable of eating innings. It certainly is a gamble.

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Arrieta has dealt with some injuries in each of his last two years with the Philadelphia Phillies. More notably, the velocity on is sinker is down nearly three ticks from 2015, and opponents have hammering that pitch.

The 2015 NL Cy Young winner actually had some success with the slider last year, a positive sign given that was his wipeout pitch of old. But he will need to be more crafty in order to get hitters out.

Williams’ numbers have been downright ugly. He had a 6.18 ERA and 1.57 WHIP in 11 starts this past season, one year after posting a 5.38 ERA in 2019.

The 29-year-old is capable of stringing together quality innings. He still ranked in the 70th percentile in average exit velocity against, and his sinker has strong vertical bite. But it will be imperative for Williams to reestablish his changeup as an out pitch.

Cubs: Evident lack of left-handers could  be a major issue

The Cubs still have a shortage of quality left-handers throughout the staff. This is true not just when talking about the starting rotation, but also in the bullpen.

There were some murmurs suggesting Chicago had interest in James Paxton, but nothing materialized on that front. The Cubs re-signed Andrew Chafin and also signed Adam Morgan (minor league deal) to add lefty depth in the bullpen, but not a whole lot’s there in terms of impact lefties.

Perhaps president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer has another move or two in mind. Or, maybe the Cubs plan on fast-tracking the likes of Brailyn Marquez or Burl Carraway, though that option seems likely. It will also be interesting to see how Brad Wieck progresses after missing practically all of the 2020 season.

Regardless, it is hard not to notice the lack of left-handers in the staff. That might become an area of focus at the trade deadline if the Cubs find themselves in contention.