Cubs may have finally identified the cause of Phil Maton's early-season struggles

Chicago Cubs fans love to saddle new free agent additions with lofty expectations, and that was certainly the case with veteran right-hander Phil Maton, who signed a two-year, $14.5 million deal with the team this winter - the organization's first multi-year expenditure for a relief pitcher since Craig Kimbrel in 2019.

To say Maton fell short of those expectations is putting it mildly, with the 33-year-old right-hander pitching to an 8.40 FIP, 2.500 WHIP and 9.0 BB/9 across his first five appearances of the season. It was evident to all who watched that he wasn't right and, now, we may know why. On Friday, the Cubs placed Maton on the 15-day IL with right knee tendonitis.

The move, retroactive to 4/8, will hopefully allow the veteran to get back to 100 percent so he can be a productive piece of Craig Counsell's bullpen puzzle later this month. In the meantime, Ethan Roberts is back to take his place as the relief corps continues to shake out as the season gets rolling and roles become more defined.

Jed Hoyer's first multi-year relief contract in years off to a rocky start

Jed Hoyer has been notoriously risk-averse in the bullpen. Well, I should say he's been averse to handing out big-money deals there - the guys he bets on are no doubt risky, but usually cost next to nothing, so there's no major drag on the books if things don't work out. Last year, we saw the Cubs strike gold with the likes of Caleb Thielbar, Drew Pomeranz, Brad Keller and Chris Flexen - the former of whom was rewarded with a $4.5 million deal to return this season.

This winter, he broke that mold with Maton's two-year pact - and it's clear the Cubs need him to be a linchpin on this staff if they're going to make a postseason run. He's coming off arguably the best season of his career in 2025, split between St. Louis and Texas, when he made 63 appearances and posted a 2.60 FIP and punched out nearly 12 batters per nine.

So far in a Cubs uniform, he's been almost completely ineffective, evidenced by a 10-run jump in his xERA year-over-year. It's too soon to panic or write him off as a failed signing - but it was very clear he needed to address this issue because it's kept him from doing anything positive on the mound this year.