Cubs spring training performances raising beginning of the end fears before Opening Day

Spring training isn't the tell-all that some fans claim it to be. Think back to last spring, when the rise of third baseman Gage Workman in Cactus League games led to some Chicago Cubs fans wanting to trade rising prospect Jefferson Rojas to the Detroit Tigers for the full rights to Workman. Fast forward to this spring, and Rojas is trending toward being the top prospect in the Cubs' system, while Workman has the scent of a four-A player in the Tigers' system.

More than anything, that trip down memory lane is meant to serve as a reminder that there are overreactions aplenty during spring training.

Jameson Taillon headlines the Cubs' list of troubling spring training performances

That being said, the struggles of established veteran players should be noted. No, it's not always a preview of what's to come during the regular season, but it could be important context just in case the end of the line is approaching.

Jameson Taillon

Taillon was the anchor of the Chicago Cubs' starting rotation towards the end of the 2025 season and into the playoffs. Entering a contract year, the expectation was that Taillon would provide stability at the backedn of the Cubs' rotation in 2026.

Spring training hasn't exactly been a confidence booster. Taillon has an ERA of 22.18 in 4 starts this spring, allowing a pair of home runs in each of those starts. Perhaps it's a case of Taillon working on a singular thing and there's nothing to worry about, but perhaps Father Time is finally catching up to the 34-year-old veteran.

Michael Conforto

Once Tyler Austin went down with an injury, the expectation was that Conforto was on the inside track toward making the Cubs' Opening Day roster. Conforto has experience on his side, but as spring training has gone on, he's validating the struggles that he had with the Los Angeles Dodgers last season.

Conforto's wRC+ is down to 60 through 31 plate appearances this spring, and he's striking out over 25% of the time. He still may slide into a spot on the Cubs' bench, but he could be trending toward a similar outcome that Trey Mancini and Eric Hosmer had in Chicago.

Shota Imanaga

Imanaga may be the biggest question mark the Cubs have in their starting rotation. His struggles at the end of the 2025 season led to Craig Counsell not using him in a decisive Game 5 against the Milwaukee Brewers last October. Yet, the Cubs still extended the qualifying offer to Imanaga at the start of the offseason.

While his velocity has been up this spring, he's allowed a home run in three of his four Cactus League starts. With the return of Justin Steele looming, the Cubs don't need Imanaga to turn back to being the top-of-the-rotation arm he once was, but they certainly will need more out of him than his up-and-down performances this spring.