Tyler Mahle's Wild Card brilliance calls Cubs' Kevin Gausman decision into question

Lost in the initial excitement surrounding Jed Hoyer's flurry of trade deadline moves was the Chicago Cubs' rumored interest in veteran right-hander Tyler Mahle. At the time, he had a 5.13 ERA and 1.394 WHIP in 18 starts with the San Francisco Giants, so the vitriolic reaction from Cubs fans was very understandable.

One year removed from the Cubs' ill-fated acquisition of Michael Soroka, we all wanted more. We wanted guys we could count on down the stretch and into October. Hoyer's answer was pulling off deals for Kevin Gausman and Clay Holmes, moves that were received well by fans and those around the industry who believed the team had addressed its big weaknesses in meaningful ways.

Fast forward to the first day of October and the Cubs are eliminated. Gausman made a Game 2 start in the Wild Card Series at less than 100 percent and Holmes didn't throw a single pitch in the series. Both will hit free agency and it's back to the drawing board for Hoyer, who has to not only replace that duo, but also Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga, Colin Rea and David Peterson in the rotation.

Meanwhile, Mahle went from fringe rotation piece with the Giants to rotation staple after being traded to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for Anthony Molina this summer. He made nine starts down the stretch, pitching to a 1.99 ERA and 0.957 WHIP - and he didn't miss a beat in the first playoff start of his MLB career on Wednesday.

Tyler Mahle was a bright spot in Braves' Wild Card loss to the Phillies

Mahle fired seven innings of one-run ball, punching out six Phillies before handing things over to the bullpen. In that effort, he became the first Braves starter to allow 0-1 runs and throw 7 or more innings in the playoffs since then-Atlanta, now-Yankees ace Max Fried did in 2020.

No, the Braves didn't win the game, but Mahle delivered when it mattered most - something that can't be said of Gausman or Holmes. I know the latter never pitched for the Cubs in the playoffs, but it was clear Chicago hoped for more from both down the stretch than what they received. Gausman (4.33 FIP, 9 GS) and Holmes (4.09 ERA, 9 GS) both showed flashed of brilliance, but fell well short of pitching like front-of-the-rotation pieces.

The elephant in the room? I don't have any faith that if Hoyer had acquired Mahle that he'd have been the pitcher he was for the Braves after the trade deadline. There have been wins on the bullpen front when it comes to reclamation projects, but the team's disastrous Edward Cabrera foray leaves me with legitimate questions about the organization's ability to 'unlock' middle-of-the-road arms, or even those with plus stuff who haven't figured things out yet.

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