Cubs free agent goal: Jameson Taillon

Jameson Taillon was the Pirates’ first-round decide (second total) in 2010 out of highschool in Texas. (Context: Picked proper after Bryce Harper and proper earlier than Manny Machado.)

For 5 straight years he was a Prime 100 prospect, even after lacking 2014 and 2015 with Tommy John surgical procedure. He pitched effectively sufficient for the Pirates for 4 years (2016-19) earlier than a second TJS took him out of most of 2019 and all of 2020.

The Pirates traded him to the Yankees earlier than the 2021 season for Roansy Contreras, Canaan Smith-Njigba, Miguel Yajure and minor leaguer Maikol Escotto. That’s truly a reasonably good haul for Pittsburgh and Contreras alone would possibly turn into nearly as good as Taillon was for them.

Anyway, Taillon put collectively an honest ‘21 season after which was fairly good in 2022, posting a 3.91 ERA and 1.128 WHIP, although that each one added as much as only one.3 bWAR (1.9 fWAR). Fangraphs says:

Through the use of his four-seamer extra, he’s fully modified his profile; ignore his numbers in Pittsburgh, as a result of he was a very totally different pitcher then.

That four-seamer and a brand new cutter increase what he’s all the time completed effectively: spin the ball. His slider and curve are each glorious, and the slider is especially nasty towards opposing righties. Yankee Stadium’s cozy dimensions might even have been holding him again; he’s squarely a fly ball pitcher now, and opposing groups packed their lineup with lefties towards him, a foul mixture within the Bronx. Shifting to a park with spacious dimensions would possible swimsuit him effectively.

The observe about “dangerous within the Bronx” seems to be backwards. Taillon posted higher numbers in Yankee Stadium than on the street in each of his years in New York.

Nonetheless, at 31 and with familiarity with the NL Central, Taillon is perhaps a helpful signing for the Cubs. Fangraphs’ common of their very own estimate and crowdsourcing has Taillon coming in at three years for about $39 million, and that appears affordable for a pitcher of his talents, age and expertise.

If a number of the different pitchers don’t work out for the North Siders, Taillon is perhaps a superb man to deliver on board for the Cubs at that worth. I’d be inclined to do it.