The Chicago Cubs regular season roster beginning next Thursday against the Arizona Diamondbacks will look different than it did in Japan when they faced the Dodgers. They will enter play at Chase Field still in search of their first victory of the campaign as they lost both of their battles in the Tokyo Dome.
The fifth spot in the starting rotation has been up for grabs for most of camp and not a single candidate budged at any point while the team was in Mesa. The competition has been between Ben Brown, Jordan Wicks, and veteran right-hander Colin Rea. Brown made his debut in the first week of the 2024 season while Wicks has spent time with the club in both 2023 and 2024. Rea spent the previous two years with Milwaukee before signing a contract with the Cubs this past offseason.
Chicago’s front office made two moves on Thursday that have a major impact on the pitching staff next week in Arizona. One that alters the competition for the fifth spot in the rotation, and the other is a shocking send-down from the bullpen.
Chicago Cubs send Eli Morgan and Jordan Wicks to Iowa
Per reports, Wicks and Morgan will begin the year in Iowa where they will open up their season at home against the Omaha Storm Chasers on March 28. Morgan was acquired in a trade with the Cleveland Guardians in November and was seen as a legitimate option to be a solid middle-of-the-bullpen guy in 2025. There is still plenty of reason for him to be just that, but he will have to work his way up in Iowa to get to that spot.
Morgan appeared in five Spring Training games for the Cubs and had a 3.18 ERA in those outings. He tossed 5.2 innings and had an impressive 0.71 WHIP before being sent down. The right-hander was excellent in 2024 with the Guardians in 42.0 innings. He made 32 appearances and finished the season with a 1.93 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP.
Jordan Wicks’ future with the Chicago Cubs could be in question
Wicks was a first-round draft for Chicago out of Kansas State in 2021. He battled injury in 2024 but still appeared in 11 games while making 10 starts. The lefty had a 5.48 ERA and a 1.63 WHIP in 48.0 innings. Wicks was not as effective last year as he was in his debut season in 2023. He made seven starts and had a 4-1 record for a Cubs team that closed out the year with 83 wins.
Despite being a former top prospect, Wicks has not shown enough in a smaller sample size to give the Cubs a reason to place him on the roster moving forward. It appears that the coaching staff likes Rea and Brown more, leaving Wicks out to dry. The southpaw will be 26 years old at the end of the season, so his time is certainly ticking on how much longer the organization could keep him around.
If Wicks can reactivate his changeup and make it the weapon in his arsenal like it used to be, he will have a fighting chance to be a member of the staff at some point this year. He has stuff that can play at the big league level, it’s all about putting everything together and staying consistent when he gets his next opportunity.
Chicago Cubs have a co-dependent relationship with star player ahead of make-or-break 2025
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