Cubs Name Ben Brown to Final Rotation Spot as Regular Season Approaches

The Cubs’ fifth and final starting pitching spot was one of the most highly debated competitions of the winter and spring around Cubs camp. Chicago knew they had a solid first four starters in Shota Imanaga, Justin Steele, Jameson Taillon, and the newly signed Matthew Boyd, but the fifth spot was totally up for grabs. Aside from Ben Brown, the Cubs had options such as Javier Assad, who had a solid year last year both in the rotation and the bullpen, and veteran Colin Rea who signed with the Cubs over the winter. Ultimately, Chicago nabbed Brown as the final starter ahead of Opening Day on Thursday, here is what that means for the Cubs moving forward. 

Brown’s final appearance of the spring was on Tuesday against the Braves where he worked 4 ⅓ innings in which he gave up six hits but only two earned runs while striking out four batters. This was a solid final outing for Brown heading into the start of their regular season in the United States. Brown worked out of the bullpen in the Cubs official first few games last week in Japan against the Dodgers, and the main issue for him in that outing was his lack of control with the fastball. He was not necessarily getting hit around by a dangerous Dodgers lineup, but his lack of control was forcing him into tough counts. This will be something the Cubs will have to keep an eye on as Brown enters the rotation every five days.

This move will move Colin Rea, who has plenty of starting pitching experience, to the bullpen for the time being, while Javier Assad will start the year on the injured list with an oblique injury. This leaves the Cubs with options and more importantly, depth. Brown is starting the year as the fifth starter, but struggles from players happen, injuries happen, and trades happen throughout a long major league season. Once Assad gets back from his injury, the Cubs will have seven pitchers capable of providing quality big league starting pitching. While this does provide a much-needed depth to the pitching staff, this also means there is an avenue for change so do not be surprised if the rotation does not look the same in June or July as it does right now. However, for right now, Brown is the right move for the Cubs to start the year in the rotation. He has the most talent and he is the youngest of the bunch, so getting him this experience would prove beneficial for him both in the present and in the future.