The Chicago Cubs surprised a lot of people ahead of the trade deadline this past summer when they decided to hold onto many of their moveable assets and actually brought in some pieces instead of being sellers.
President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer explained this was a way for them to get better in the future, more specifically in 2025, as they continue to eye making the playoffs for the first time since 2020.
Prior to the deadline, there were plenty of players who were floated as possible trade chips.
Stars like Nico Hoerner, bench pieces like Patrick Wisdom, and the usual suspects of veteran pitchers were all seen as candidates the Cubs could move, but perhaps there was nobody mentioned more often as someone on the trade block than starter Jameson Taillon.
Since signing his four-year, $68 million deal ahead of the 2023 season, it's been a roller coaster during his tenure.
His first year in Chicago saw him post the worst season of his career with a 4.84 ERA across his 30 outings and 29 starts, finishing with an ERA+ 12 points below the league average. And when he began this past campaign on the injured list, things were looking like a complete disaster.
However, Taillon rebounded to become a huge part of the Cubs' rotation, putting up one of the best years he's ever had with a 3.27 ERA and ERA+ of 122 during his 28 starts and 165.1 innings pitched.
With Chicago looking to get back into the postseason, they're banking on him continuing to produce in that fashion alongside Shota Imanaga and Justin Steele, who they hope has a clean bill of health next year.
But, when looking at some potential deals the Cubs could make this winter, Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report thinks the front office should actually trade the veteran starter.
"With a 3.27 ERA over 165.1 innings, the veteran righty more than justified his $18 million salary ... There is nonetheless a slight odor of unsustainability with Taillon's 2024 performance, so the Cubs would be wise to sell high. They would be even wiser to swap him for a bat," he writes.
That's certainly an interesting thought.
If they're able to use Taillon to land a slugger who can bring some pop to this lineup which was clearly lacking in that aspect last season, this should be something they look into.
Chicago's rotation was a clear strength of the team in 2024, and while the veteran right-hander played a huge part in that, the fact Jordan Wicks and Ben Brown are coming back from injuries will make that unit deeper.
It's not clear how much interest there is in Taillon around the league, and if they would even be able to land a bat in a potential trade that features him, but this could be something to keep an eye on this winter.
