Cubs Must Find a Way to Keep Javier Assad in the Starting Rotation

The Chicago Cubs avoided a sweep against the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday. On Thursday, they'll start a new four-game series with the Pittsburgh Pirates. 

Perhaps the most prominent reason for the Cubs avoiding the sweep was their starting pitcher. After an incredible performance on Monday from Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon had a rough outing on Tuesday. Javier Assad took the ball on Wednesday and functioned as the skid stopper. Assad pitched six shutout innings in the win. 

As it stands, the Cubs starting rotation features Justin Steele, Jameson Taillon, Shota Imanaga, Kyle Hendricks, and Assad. Jordan Wicks, one of the team's starters as of Opening Day, will be returning from injury soon. That would mean Assad will join the likes of Ben Brown and Hayden Wesneski as starting depth that ventures to the bullpen. However, without a notable lefty presence in the pen and with how good Assad has pitched, there is NO WAY Assad can move to the bullpen. 

Javier Assad currently has the fourth-lowest ERA in all of baseball. The only three pitchers with better ERAs than Assad's 1.49 ERA are Reynaldo Lopez, Ranger Suarez, and Assad's teammate, Shota Imanaga. Imanaga's 0.96 ERA is the best in baseball. 

How can a team who's in the hunt for a division title put one of their best starters in the bullpen? Frankly, Assad is too good to be used out of the pen. Right now, it might be worth moving Jordan Wicks into a bullpen role to provide Craig Counsell another lefty option out of the pen. 

Sure, Wicks has never come out of the bullpen. However, Assad's performance as a starter should far outweigh the concerns with Wicks' ability to serve as a reliever. 

Assad's Pitching Run Value and Fastball Run Value are both in the 100th percentile in all of baseball. His Breaking and Offspeed Run Values are also well above average. He's dominant, despite not generating high whiff rates or chase rates. He just gets the job done. 

Since he gets the job done, he should 100% stay in the rotation. Javier Assad is pitching at an elite level in 2024. 

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