The Chicago Cubs went into the offseason in search of another starting pitcher to shore up their already-solid rotation.
The 5-man crew of Justin Steele, Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon, newcomer Matthew Boyd, and Javier Assad stands to be a solid rotation, building upon their status as one of the better rotations in the league.
Behind that 5-man staff, however, is another 4-man staff of potential fill-ins. Newly-acquired veteran Colin Rea heads a backup crew that also includes youngsters Jordan Wicks, Cade Horton, and Ben Brown.
Brown Could Be The Man
The 25-year-old Brown, especially, carries some big-time potential headed into the 2025 season and could turn out to be that impact starter the team’s been looking for.
The 6-foot-6 right-hander dazzled and overpowered at times last season, before having his season shut down due to a neck injury that just would not go away.
Up until the injury, Brown had posted a 3.58 ERA in 55.1 innings, including a 3.23 ERA in eight starts. The numbers would’ve been even better had the nagging neck injury not hampered his last couple of appearances.
The Cubs gave Brown medical clearance to resume training at full speed earlier this offseason and the hope is that he’ll be mound-ready by spring training. If so, he could very well earn his way into the rotation.
Justin Steele Says Brown’s A “Stud”
Cubs’ ace Justin Steele has a home near the Cubs’ Mesa training complex and has been keeping tabs on Brown’s progress. He’s impressed.
“Ben Brown … that dude’s a horse,” Steele recently said on the North Side Territory podcast. “He’s in the weight room, doing the stuff that he would normally do. (We had) conversations when all that stuff was going on with his neck. When the player doesn’t really know what it is, it can affect you mentally. It makes you not want to do stuff because you don’t want to make it worse.
“Just to see him being the spring chicken that he is, doing the lifts, throwing with full effort, and having that personality that he always had, it’s just fun being around him. Watching him throw his bullpens and go through his work, you know the guy is going to be a stud if he gets a full season under his belt.”
Brown came to the Cubs from the Philadelphia Phillies in an August, 2022 trade for relief pitcher David Robertson. He had earned his way into status as the no. 8 prospect in the Cubs loaded farm system in 2023 before getting a call to the big league in 2024.
Still A Work In Progress?
Although struggling with control at times and working to increase his arsenal, the young prospect’s raw talent and dogged attitude always managed to shine through. The belief among many is that Brown has finally figured things out and, if he stays healthy, could be a high-end major league starter. When right, he’s been an absolute beast.
“It’s kind of a relentless attack,” Cubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy said of Brown last season. “He’s coming at you.”
It’ll be interesting to see what the Cubs do if/when Brown shows that he’s ready for a spot on the starting rotation. Will the front office choose to trade the more mildly talented Assad or maybe veteran Taillon (and his $18 million salary) to make room for Brown? Will they adopt a 6-man rotation to include Brown? Maybe they’ll keep him in the bullpen as a swing man, at least for one more season as he gains experience and works on being a more sturdy player.
Whatever the case, Ben Brown is coming.
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