When an established, veteran starting pitcher has a couple rough spring outings by the results, it’s extremely easy to ignore. The guy is not necessarily maxing out his work to get outs in that particular game, and the focus is on readiness for the regular season. Plus, the sample is tiny, the scouting report work is different, the defense is different, the catcher is often different, and so on and so forth.
However, whenever I get into this topic, I generally note two things. While all of the above is true, it is also true that (1) you don’t want to see abysmal results too close to the regular season because that’s when pitchers often are trying to flip the switch into get-outs mode, and (2) you get a little more concerned about bad results when those bad results are tethered to some kind of physical concern. That can be health, or it can be pitch velocity/execution.
That is all to say, after Jameson Taillon’s 3.1 inning, 10(!) earned run, 8 hit, 4 walk start against the Dodgers yesterday, which came with his velocity still down a click, and which came after some other homer-laden outings … yes, it’s fair to have some concerns about Taillon entering the season.
That doesn’t mean you overreact or rule out the possibility of flukiness, combined with the introductory stuff, causing spring numbers that don’t really mean anything about what would come when the bell rings. That’s still possible.
But I do think the Cubs and Jameson Taillon need to figure out for sure whether it’s all just a fluke, or whether there’s something fundamentally concerning happening with his health, his mechanics, his grips, or some kind of tipping.
From the Chicago Tribune:
“[Jameson Taillon] believes the struggles stem from a mix of mechanical problems within his delivery and mental challenges now that he’s had a few bad spring outings. Taillon speculated he might be pitching away from contact a little bit because of the hard contact he’s allowed.
Taillon has been working with pitching coach Tommy Hottovy and the team’s pitching group to use his lower half more effectively. Tweaking and making adjustments during bullpens and in the pitch lab is not an excuse, Taillon said, for his in-game performances this spring.
‘I am not a guy who just accepts bad results or my stuff not being where I want it,’ Taillon said. ‘I’m always tinkering behind the scenes, and it’s a fine line of tinkering to stay sharp, or tinkering to mess yourself up. And right now, I’ve tinkered a little bit and messed myself up, and now it’s just about tinkering to get back to where I know I can be.'”
Taillon sounds optimistic in the piece, pointing out that it’s preferable to be dealing with this stuff now as opposed to deep into the season. But he also said that it’s not like he’s happy about giving up a ton of runs or that he’s not trying to get outs, per the Tribune. It’s not a great time, and there isn’t too much left to get ready for the regular season.
This is all happening, it is important to say, against the backdrop of Ben Brown’s superlative spring. All the same spring caveats apply to his good performance (at least as strongly as they do to Taillon’s rough performance), but there are meaningful takeaways.
Specifically, we’re talking about a guy who has always clearly had MLB-starter upside, together with two clearly MLB-caliber pitches (four-seamer, curveball). The primary question with Brown is whether he could develop such pristine command that he could succeed as a two-pitch starter, or whether he could develop an MLB-caliber third pitch to improve the results of his other offerings.
It’s only spring, yes, but Brown has so far shown that his brand new sinker is potentially a very good – and very differentiating – pitch. For him, it’s conceivable that this new pitch is the difference between the guy we saw last year and the Ben Brown who enters a big league rotation, never leaves, and pitches at an above-average level for many years.
Ben Brown’s biggest issue has always been allowing hard contact and home runs.Through 10.2 innings this spring, that hasn’t been the case:87.3 mph EV (71st pct)34.8% Hard-Hit% (79th pct)0 Barrels allowedHis new sinker has been a big reason why.pic.twitter.com/ghDCiEpKAN
— Carson Wolf (@TheWrigleyWire) March 16, 2026There’s always a chance that Ben Brown could open up the season in the big league bullpen, with Jameson Taillon in the rotation, and these two topics never cross paths in any case. I tend to think the Cubs are going to want to keep Brown stretched out and starting in case there develops a medium-term need for a starter (that they decide, for whatever reason, not to give to Colin Rea or Javier Assad). But he’ll do whatever is asked, and he’s feeling quite good right now.
Ben Brown when I asked him about starting 2026 at Triple A or a big league reliever – “This is the best I have ever t.co/zTChjnOa34 should be clear to anyone that has watched me .So regardless of anyone’s opinion of me,it shouldn’t change how I feel about myself.”
— Bruce Levine (@MLBBruceLevine) March 15, 2026Brown has a minor league option year remaining, and that may ultimately be what gets him sent down to open the season while the Cubs give Taillon a chance to get things sorted.
Is that the “right” decision? Well, the only alternatives would be for Taillon to go on the Injured List (but if he’s truly and completely healthy, then what?), or for the Cubs to release Taillon. He is in the final year of his deal and 34, and obviously struggling at the moment in these fake games, but Taillon is also the guy who helped carry the rotation last year in August and September and into October. He’s a massive plus in the clubhouse and with the pitching group, and he’s had some performance fits and spurts in his time with the Cubs, but tends to recover. Are we really ready to see him bounced permanently – he’d be scooped up right away by some other club on an MLB minimum deal – because of some abysmal spring results and velocity that hasn’t quite yet gotten to where it needs to be? And to do so in favor of an unestablished pitcher who CAN be optioned, but who is looking pretty darn good right now?
I think that’s actually a pretty tough call in a competitive season like this, and I think the deciding factor for me might be the overall pitching depth for the year ahead. I think we need to be watching Taillon closely and questions need to be asked about whether he really is 100%, but I also think the Cubs need lots and lots of capable starting pitchers to get through the year. We know this. We see it every year. And I’d hate to see the Cubs lose potentially solid big league starting innings for the entire season because they have questions about where Taillon is right at this moment.
That said, if Ben Brown continues to look this good with his new sinker, then the Cubs are going to have to figure out a way to get some of his innings this year in the big league rotation, or the bullpen if necessary. He could be too good to have those bullets wasted at Triple-A.
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