How much money every Cubs starter will make in 2024

The Chicago Cubs' rotation looks to be solidified after the addition of Japanese southpaw Shota Imanaga, who will be the fourth highest-paid pitcher on the staff.

With Imanaga the only addition to the rotation and a wealth of young starting pitching depth, the Cubs are saving a lot of money on arms compared to other teams. Big spenders like the New York Yankees, Texas Rangers and Toronto Blue Jays will all be forking over more than $70 million just to their starting pitchers alone, while the Cubs payroll for their entire pitching staff is projected to be around the same number.

With all that being said, let's look at where exactly the money will go and how much each Cubs starter will earn in 2024.

1. Jameson Taillon: 2024 salary of $18 million

Jameson Taillon is somehow the highest-paid pitcher in the Chicago Cubs organization despite turning in an abysmal first year with the club. Over 29 starts, the 31-year-old Taillon turned in a lackluster 4.84 ERA, gave up 27 home runs, and generally did not display the confidence the team needed him to. There were decent outings here and there, but there needs to be more consistency from a guy on a $68 million deal like his.

With three years left on his contract, Taillon will have to prove himself in 2024 because he is currently the weakest link in the rotation despite one of the spots possibly going to a rookie. It feels wrong to have everyone expecting your highest-paid pitcher to have a bad outing more often than not, but that's where we are with Taillon. At worst, Taillon should be the third man in the rotation with this kind of contract so he has a lot to prove.

2. Kyle Hendricks: 2024 salary of $16.5 million

At 34 years old, Kyle Hendricks proved he still had enough gas in the tank to warrant not only a rotation spot but also a club option for 2024 worth $16.5 million. That's probably a little much for Hendricks' services, but given the guy won an ERA title, clinched a pennant, and helped win the 2016 World Series, it'd be hard to send him packing without leaving a sour taste in everyone's mouth.

As for next offseason, we will have to see how much Hendricks wants to be a Cub when he hits free agency. We've seen time and time again that money talks in this league and I don't see the Cubs offering Hendricks a player-friendly deal with the kind of pitching infrastructure the organization now boasts. It's nearly impossible to project what Hendricks will make when he hits free agency next winter, but I can comfortably say that he won't be getting $16.5 million a year from the Cubs unless he wins the Cy Young award.

Now that doesn't mean I don't want the Cubs to pay him that, I just think it's unlikely from a realistic standpoint. I'd love nothing more than for Hendricks to be a career-long Cub because of the memories he gave us over the years. But the same could have been said for Willson Contreras, Kris Bryant, and Javier Baez at one point in time. Baseball is a business at the end of the day.

3. Drew Smyly: 2024 salary of $10.5 million

Although Drew Smyly was eventually transferred into the bullpen late last year, he made 23 starts for the team and I think there's a good chance he begins the season in the starting rotation. That doesn't mean he'll stay there or even stay there long, especially if he hurls it like he did in July and August.

The main reason I think Smyly will start in the rotation is because the team will at least want to try and get more out of his $10.5 million contract than relief appearances. Even with the need for a go-to lefty in the bullpen, the team will probably try to get multiple innings out of him like last year. In any case, I foresee Smyly being overshadowed by one of the younger guys and the team opting not to exercise his mutual option for 2025 if he is still with the club after this year's trade deadline.

5. Justin Steele: 2024 salary of $4 million

Justin Steele was one of the six players the Cubs reached avoided arbitration with in early January, when they agreed to a $4 million contract for 2024. This pay bump from the $770,000 rookie contract was well deserved after the 28-year-old lefty took a big step forward in his career last year. He led the team in innings pitched (173.1), strikeouts (176), and ERA (3.06) while vying for the National League Cy Young award into September.

Steele is the ace of this staff until further notice and his emergence is a testament to the Cubs' pitching development in recent years. Steele is looking like the first of many home-grown arms to become significant contributors at the big-league level with others like Javier Assad, Cade Horton, and Jordan Wicks right behind him.

As long as Steele keeps on this path, I'd expect his salary to rise even more next year.

6. Javier Assad: 2024 salary of $770,000

It's unfortunate that Javier Assad is still on a rookie deal because he is one of the most valuable arms on the roster. At 26 years old, Assad emerged as a versatile weapon in 2023 whether it was as a starter (3.02 ERA in 53.2 IP) or as a reliever (3.07 ERA in 55.2 IP). This kind of translation is exactly what you want to see from your swingman, which is the role Assad will likely continue to be utilized in by manager Craig Counsell this year.

Assad will probably begin the year in the Cubs bullpen as a long reliever and be ready to slot into the rotation in case of injury or bad performance. This is exactly the kind of flexibility managers and front offices envision for the ideal team and the Cubs are lucky to have a guy like Assad. He is still two years away from hitting arbitration so he will be around for a while if he continues to excel.

7. Jordan Wicks: 2024 salary of $770,000

A first-round pick in the 2021 draft, Jordan Wicks became yet another home-grown arm to make his way to the majors for the Cubs last year. A soft-tosser who relies on his changeup, Wicks made a big impact in his first major league game where he struck out 9 batters in five innings. Things cooled off a bit for the 24-year-old down the stretch, but he is still regarded as one of the best left-handed pitching prospects in the game.

I'd expect him to start the year in Triple-A after the Imanaga signing, but I'm confident we will see Wicks return at some point during the season. I'm glad he was able to get some major-league exposure when he did so he can adjust and be more prepared next time around to make a larger impact.

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