With a 51-57 record that has them at last place in the NL Central, one would think that the Chicago Cubs would be inclined to sell with the MLB trade deadline inching closer and closer. But the Cubs instead pulled off a trade for one of the most sought-after bats in the market in Isaac Paredes. Now, the question is, how does Paredes' arrival affect the Cubs' direction with regards to the future of Jameson Taillon, the 32-year-old starter who's currently in the middle of a solid season?
Taillon, who remains under contract until 2026 and has a no-trade clause blocking potential deals to 10 teams, revealed to reporters that there may not be an imminent trade involving him, since the Cubs haven't yet approached him regarding waiving his clause.
“I haven’t had to say yes or no to anything,” Taillon said, per Patrick Mooney of The Athletic.
With around eight hours left before the trade deadline passes, it will be interesting to monitor if things change on the Jameson Taillon trade front. The Cubs haven't committed to being a full-blown selling ballclub anyway, which means that Taillon could be seen as a valuable member of the roster as they look to set themselves up for contention in the years to come — or perhaps even mount an unlikely rise in the NL Wild Card standings despite being six games behind of the third wild card spot at the moment.
The Cubs should be under no pressure to trade Taillon anyway, since he is under contract for two more seasons after this current campaign.
Jameson Taillon is having a solid 2024 for the Cubs
Jameson Taillon has rebounded from a bit of a down season in 2023 to produce as one of the best middle of the rotation starters for the Cubs this year. Through 18 starts (104.2 innings of work), Taillon has put up an ERA of 3.35, with his peripherals mostly backing up that level of production.
The concern with Taillon is his declined velocity; his average fastball velocity in 2024 is at 92.7 miles per hour, which is the worst it has ever been in his career. His strikeout rate has declined with it. At 7.05 strikeouts per nine innings, there is definitely concern surrounding the Cubs veteran's weakened ability to miss bats.
Nonetheless, Taillon gets the job done on most nights. His reliability and veteran presence has made him an appealing trade target for teams close to the playoff hunt, such as the Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros.
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