Can We Already Say the Cubs Have the Best Rotation in Baseball? And Other Bullets

For the first time in two weeks, I drove this morning! It was just a few blocks to take The Little Girl to school, but it still felt good. The only hiccup was when I first crutched outside and realized I was gonna have to scrape on one foot.

• Well, the Chicago Cubs’ projected rotation is now complete, which means we can start asking questions like this:

Is this rotation the best in baseball?@thekapman stacks the #Cubs' starters up with the rest of the league at https://t.co/LefM08VAeb pic.twitter.com/DhiT7fNnx9

— Cubs Talk (@NBCSCubs) February 12, 2018

• As we sit here today, I think I could make a very strong argument that, yes, the Cubs have the best on-paper rotation in baseball right now (I am confessedly much higher on Tyler Chatwood as a Cub than others might be) … the problem, though, is that there are still some moves out there to be made by other clubs that could impact their own rotations. For example, if Scott Boras manages to successfully get in the ear of Nationals ownership, and they pull the trigger on Jake Arrieta? Well, then I think that’s *clearly* the best rotation in baseball. If the Dodgers find a financially feasible way to add someone like Alex Cobb? Then I could see them having a case, too. Or if the Mets landed Cobb and managed to stay healthy? A stretch, I suppose, but the talent is certainly still there. The Indians should be in this conversation. The Astros should be up there after the Gerrit Cole trade. The Diamondbacks have a sneaky good rotation. Even the Red Sox could make a case if Eduardo Rodriguez is healthy. The point here: it’s actually a pretty debatable topic, even as good as the Cubs’ rotation looks.
• For what it’s worth, the early projections at FanGraphs have the Cubs as the third best rotation in baseball, behind the Dodgers and Astros, and just ahead of the Indians, Nationals, and Mets. The Cardinals, interestingly, rank 7th. However, that includes all pitchers projected to make starts for the team throughout the year, not just the front five. Going by only the front five, the Cubs easily take the top spot. (That said, having quality depth is an important part of having an effective rotation over the course of the season.)
• I could say a little something here about each of the Cubs’ five starters, but I’ll just offer a reminder that Jon Lester’s down 2017 season maybe wasn’t as bad as it seemed, and he might be able to bounce right back – even at his age – in 2018.

• As we expected, with more and more players arriving in spring camps, you’re going to see more and more comments like this:

Anthony Rizzo: "It’s talent all over the place and guys don’t have jobs. It’s crazy, because where this game is going, it’s just so healthy. You start questioning: Are you trying to compete, or are you just going to send your team to Triple-A all year?”

— Patrick Mooney (@PJ_Mooney) February 12, 2018

• Although the Cubs did not land any prospects on the BA Top 100 this year, they did have a bunch that got votes in some of the staff writers’ top 150, with Aramis Ademan coming the closest to making the list. Others who got at least one vote include Adbert Alzolay, Jose Albertos, Dillon Maples, Thomas Hatch, and Victor Caratini.

• You can dance if you want to:

It seems @MLBTheShow thought of the important things. pic.twitter.com/Yofb2t815W

— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) February 13, 2018

• I would watch this movie:

“There was an idea…”. pic.twitter.com/N5Rqfj9EwQ

— Ben Radigan (@benradigan) February 13, 2018

• Would some team please sign this dude:

Ichiro Suzuki's agent is in talks with the Colorado Rockies a source tells Japan's Sankei Sports. Suzuki is currently training in Kobe.https://t.co/lUb9tXfKG9

— Jim Allen (@JballAllen) February 13, 2018

• This is amazing:

I can't stop laughing … Vladimir Guerrero hits 50 Cent's wild pitch (Via MLB Fan Cave on Youtube) pic.twitter.com/VSzbZsk9Zf

— Baseball is Fun (@flippingbats) February 13, 2018

• Michael gonna Michael:

#FishTrubisky pic.twitter.com/2qSqDFhPC0

— The Ten-Yard Line (@TheTenYardLine) February 12, 2018

• Meanwhile, in more serious Bears analysis, there’s a whole lotta money the Bears can spend this offseason if they want to:

The Bears Can Create Almost $60 Million in Cap Space by Cutting Ten Players – Including Five Free Agents Signed L https://t.co/EAHzLvHi6W pic.twitter.com/UhRcCS7ZjE

— The Ten-Yard Line (@TheTenYardLine) February 13, 2018