The Chicago Cubs certainly didn’t have the performance they were hoping for following the All-Star break and after losing two of three to the Arizona Diamondbacks it wouldn’t be surprising to see them entertaining calls for a few of their valuable players. Veteran starting pitcher Jameson Taillon is having one of his best seasons in the majors and according to a recent report the Cubs have discussed a trade of Taillon with at least two teams.
Now, while the Cubs are said to not yet commit to being sellers, they are listening to calls as the trade deadline approaches. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale mentioned that two AL East rivals have engaged in talks with the Cubs about a Taillon trade.
Via USA Today.
The Boston Red Sox and Yankees have had talks with the Chicago Cubs about starter Jameson Taillon, but the Cubs are undecided whether they will be buyers or sellers.
Taillon signed a four-year, $68 million contract with the Cubs and seeing that he’s only in the second year of his deal the right-handed pitcher is still owed a decent amount of money. The 32-year-old will make nearly $7 million for the rest of the 2024 season and is then set to earn $18 million in 2025 and 2026. That brings Taillon’s owed money to about $43 million if he’s dealt before the July 30 trade deadline.
It wasn’t pretty early on for Taillon in Chicago, but ever since July 7, 2023, Taillon has been one of the best starting pitchers in baseball. In his last 32 outings that includes one relief appearance Taillon has recorded a 3.23 ERA in 183.2 innings of work. So far in 2024, the veteran has a 3.10 ERA in 93 innings.
The Cubs are currently 3.5 games back of the third Wild Card spot in the National League with a record of 48-53. The problem is there are five teams ahead of them and all those teams have the tiebreaker over the Cubs thanks to a better head-to-head record. Trading Taillon would be a tough pill to swallow because he’s part of the starting rotation that has pretty much kept the Cubs’ playoff hopes alive throughout the 2024 season.
Trading him could have value down the road if the Cubs are able to obtain MLB pieces in return while also shedding some salary off their payroll. On the other side, we’ve seen with the Cubs this year that you’re never really safe from injuries and no matter how much depth you think you have. Shit can hit the fan and not having a guy who always take the ball every fifth day and gives you quality innings isn’t the known commodity that it once was in MLB.
Speaking of payrolls, the Yankees are a third-time CBT payor who are in the top tier of luxury penalization and would have to pay a 110% tax on Taillon this year. Meanwhile, the Red Sox have more wiggle room and probably the greater need for a starting pitcher because they don’t have much depth in the rotation and they can also trade for Taillon without worrying about luxury tax implications. Boston is currently at a $218 million payroll.
Both teams have familiarity with Taillon, who pitched with the Yankees in 2021-22, while Craig Breslow, who now runs the Red Sox, had been with the Cubs and was a big part of recruiting Taillon to Chicago.
So Cubs fans, should the Cubs consider trading Taillon now when his value is as high as it’s ever been?
