Chicago Cubs keeping an eye on insurance plans for the starting rotation

It seems unlikely that the Chicago Cubs will splurge on a potential signing of reigning National League Cy Young Award winner, Blake Snell but that does not mean that the team will not look to add depth to the rotation before the start of the season.

Jon Morosi of MLB Network mentioned on Sunday that the Cubs haven't ruled out potential additions to the rotation while mentioning Noah Syndergaard and Michael Lorenzen.

While there is truth to the idea that a team could never have too much pitching, the Cubs certainly are a team that is littered with rotation depth. Drew Smyly, Hayden Wesneski, Caleb Kilian, and Javier Assad are among the pitchers that the Cubs have in their organization with starting experience at the Major League level.

For that reason, barring injury, it would seem unlikely that the Cubs make any serious effort toward signing Syndergaard.

Syndergaard's strikeout percentage has dropped considerably in recent seasons, from 25% with the New York Mets in 2021 to 14.3% last season in split time with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Cleveland Guardians. Syndergaard managed to get by in 2022 with his dwindling strikeout numbers as he posted a 3.94 ERA, but his luck ran out last season as he posted a 6.50 ERA in 18 appearances.

Lorenzen was selected to the American League All-Star game in 2023 but his season derailed in the second half after a trade to the Philadelphia Phillies. Lorenzen posted a 5.51 ERA in 11 appearances with the Phillies.

If the Cubs feel they can work with the first-half success that Lorenzen had with the Detroit Tigers last season, it's possible that they make a move at the right price but given the depth they already have, it's likely that the rest of their efforts this off-season will be spent on improving their offense.

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