Commentary: How can Cubs address the loss of Justin Steele? |
Dustin Riese
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- 23 hours ago
It was another big weekend for the Chicago Cubs as they won their fourth consecutive series and did so against the defending World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Not only that, but the Cubs found a way to get it done against the top three in the Dodgers rotation, and you can make the case that the Cubs were one pitch away from sweeping them.
That alone is an accomplishment in itself as the Cubs continue to march through this 20-game gauntlet and are off to a 6-3 start so far. Despite all the good that came from this weekend, there was also some bad, as news broke Sunday afternoon that Ace Justin Steele would be lost for the season after his second opinion revealed that he would need Flexor Tendon surgery. While that may not be the Tommy John that everyone expected it to be, it's still a significant surgery that will end his season and could force him to miss some time next year. This is about as big of a blow as this team could take, as Steele was off to another great start, and the Cubs needed him if they wanted to take the NL Central this season. However, this is still a great baseball team, and even with his loss, they are good enough to win this division; it just may be a bit more challenging to make that happen. With Steele no longer in the picture for the remainder of the season, it will be up to Jed Hoyer and Carter Hawkins to devise a plan to not only replace Steele, but to figure out a way to get the most out of their choices. The most logical option for the short-term picture is to keep things the way they are, as Colin Rea has moved from the pen to the rotation. This isn't the ideal long-term scenario, but when you look at how many off days the Cubs have to close out April, they won't need a No. 5 starter until the end of the month, giving this team some time to figure things out. Rea was brought in this offseason as the presumed No. 5 starter, but after losing that spot to Ben Brown in the Spring, he was moved to the pen where he was expected to be the swing guy. Rea has allowed one run across his nine innings this season, which came in his 3 2/3 innings on Sunday against the Dodgers. Should the Cubs continue to use Rea as Steele's short-term replacement, he will need to get stretched out, and the only way that will happen is to keep trotting him out there every fifth day. Given the Cubs schedule and the days off, they may not happen, but look for him as their short-term option. Once the calendar turns to May and the off days become less frequent, the Cubs will have to figure out a more long-term solution, as Rea isn't the long-term answer. Fortunately for the Cubs, they have plenty of pitching depth within their organization, especially at AAA, where in-house help is on the way. The most likely option at this point is Javier Assad, who has been out all season due to an oblique injury but has been working out in Mesa since the start of the season. Assad is ready to make his season debut with AAA this week, as the plan now is for him to get three starts in the Minors to build up his arm.
Once that is completed, the Cubs will have to decide on him, but given his recent success in the rotation, it does seem like a foregone conclusion that he will be given some starts soon. The same can be said for guys like Jordan Wicks and Chris Flexen, who have been pitching well in AAA.
Wicks was one of those guys battling it out for the No. 5 spot this Spring, but he was ultimately sent down to Iowa, where he could develop a bit further. Flexen, on the other hand, was signed as a minor league free agent and has thus gone on to post an ERA under 1.00 in his three starts. He is also synced up to pitch on the same days as Steele, which would make his transition from the Minors to the majors relatively seamless.
If the Cubs want to prioritize youth to stabilize the rotation, Assad, Wicks, Cade Horton, or even Connor Noland make a ton of sense. However, when it comes to experience, Flexen is their most experienced arm in the Minors, and given how durable he has been, he would make a great long-term fix.
The final piece to the Cubs rotation puzzle comes later in the season and will only come should this team still be in contention. After whiffing on starting pitcher trades during the offseason, look for Hoyer to continue to monitor the market and potentially make a move come July. Guys like Sandy Alcantara, Pablo Lopez, and Luis Castillo make the most sense, as those names have been linked to the Cubs for several years.
You also have to look at Dylan Cease as a long-shot option, but given how the Padres are playing, that move doesn't seem likely. Regardless, if the Cubs are to trade for any of these options, it will cost a lot, and some wonder if the Cubs will be willing to meet the demands.
Should the asking price get too steep, you still have the free agent market to consider, where Kyle Gibson is starting to garner some attention and could be had on a cheap deal, such as a one-year rental. Whatever the decision is, Hoyer knows the success or failures of this season fall on how this team responds to Steele going down, and the choices he decides to make need to be the right ones.
