One theme emerging from spring training for the Chicago Cubs is that the pitching rotation is a work in progress. The Cubs are monitoring veteran free agent pitchers as they prepare to begin the regular season against the Los Angeles Dodgers at the Tokyo Dome on Tuesday.
Bob Nightingale of USA Today reported Chicago entered negotiations with Lance Lynn. However, Cubs manager Craig Counsell clarified over the weekend that the team isn’t “on the verge” of signing another pitcher, yet. However, the team could add another starter before their “domestic” opening day matchup against the Arizona Diamondbacks on March 27.
Or maybe they’ll promote from within.
The Chicago Cubs are looking to make a rotation change
Per Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Cubs are thinking about moving Ben Brown into the fifth spot for the starting rotation.
“The Cubs are giving serious consideration to putting hard-throwing right-hander Ben Brown in the rotation’s fifth spot,” Passan wrote. “The allure of Colin Rea, who threw 167⅔ perfectly OK innings last year, is in the high floor. Brown would be a ceiling play, fitting for a guy who stands 6-foot-6.
“With a high-90s fastball and monster curve, his repertoire is limited — or even better suited for the bullpen — but for someone of Brown’s talent, he’ll always have a spot as a reliever. Exhaust the possibility that he becomes a front-line starter before resigning him to the bullpen.”
At 25, Brown made his debut in the MLB last March. He appeared in 15 games last season and has a 1-3 record and an ERA of 3.58 with 64 strikeouts.
Brown has appeared in three games and started two in the Cactus League this year. He’s pitched eight innings and has nine strikeouts. He has given up 13 hits, six earned runs, and has an ERA of 6.75.
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