If the goal is giving yourself the best chance to win on a nightly basis, right-hander Jake Arrieta isn’t doing that for the Cubs right now.
CINCINNATI — When the Cubs signed Jake Arrieta during the offseason, there were questions on if the right-hander could still perform or if his seasons since leaving the Cubs hadn’t been full of much success.
Whether it was due to health or otherwise, Arrieta felt coming home to the Cubs would help him get back to being the pitcher he believed he still was. And in April, the 34-year-old right-hander went out and did that.
He found a recipe to success in April and kept the rotation afloat while the team went through it’s early-season troubles. But since then, the magic that he had has worn off. Since coming off the injured list on May 14, Arrieta hasn’t been what the Cubs have needed him to be.
Wednesday’s 15-7 debacle against the Brewers shined a light on the decision the Cubs face with Arrieta and after being unable to pitch with a seven-run lead, it’s brought to a head what has become a larger issue.
”It’s been tough,” Arrieta said. “I didn’t get the job done, period. . . . This one’s on my shoulders. There’s no way around it.’’
The eye test hasn’t favored Arrieta and the numbers are not trending in the right direction either. Since May 14, opponents have a .919 OPS against him with a 6.53 ERA over that span. That includes an 8.31 ERA in June, which was his worst month of the season statistically.
When asked if he thought his performance had put his spot in the rotation in jeopardy, Arrieta wasn’t interested in discussing that possibility.
“I really don’t care to think about that,” he said. ”You can ask David, if you want to ask David about that.”
Well, the Cubs manager was asked about it and while he did not say Arrieta would no longer be in the rotation, it’s a conversation that needs to be had.
“We’re going to reset this off-day and then go from there,” Ross said. “I don’t know who we would replace him with.”
Ross has often said that the Cubs are going to put the team on the field that gives them the best chance to win on a nightly basis. But it’s clear that Arrieta doesn’t give them the best chance to do that right now.
If the question is who the Cubs would replace Arrieta in the rotation with, there are some answers that don’t include making a trade.
Right-hander Trevor Williams is currently on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Iowa and would likely get his spot in the rotation back once he’s healthy. But as the Cubs think about their future as the trade deadline approaches, the team’s short- and long-term solutions may already be in the organization.
Left-hander Justin Steele and right-hander Keegan Thompson have both been versatile pieces in the Cubs bullpen this season and while they’ve seen success as relievers, both are seen as starters long term.
Steele has been building himself back up from a right hamstring strain and is also on a rehab assignment. It’s not unrealistic to think he or Thompson could start or even be openers in the team’s rotation as the Cubs try to improve what has been a season-long area of need. It would not only give the Cubs a different look in the rotation, but also get a chance to see what may ultimately be the future of the rotation.
“Definitely two options as we continue to get these guys stretched out and be creative with how we want to do things,’’ pitching coach Tommy Hottovy said. “I think we’ve shown that one recipe for success for us is to get to the bullpen with the lead and hand the ball over to [Ryan Tepera, Andrew Chafin, Craig Kimbrel].
“There’s a lot of different ways to do that. You could have two guys throw three innings each and get to the seventh, you could have one starter, throw five and get to the six. So there’s not one way to do it.”
Believing in a player’s pedigree is never wrong and in many cases, having the experience of past success can help find their way in the midst of a difficult stretch. But whether the Cubs are in the NL Central race in four weeks or not, the time has come for them to evaluate their options with what to do with Arrieta and his spot in the team’s rotation.
That conversation will not be easy, they never are, especially with his place in the organization’s success. But it’s one that needs to be had and it needs to happen right now.
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