Cubs reportedly still interested in two veteran starters

Jeff Curry - USA Today Sports

Dustin Riese - Senior Writer - 3 hours ago

There is an old saying that you can never have too much pitching, and the Chicago Cubs firmly believe in that statement. However, when is too much pitching TOO MUCH pitching as the Cubs may be going over the top when it comes to adding pitching depth. Although the rotation is mainly healthy apart from Javier Assad, the Cubs continue to push the envelope to find pitching depth and search the market.

A big reason for this could be their lack of overall depth in the minors, particularly AAA, where Cade Horton and Brandon Birdsell are the big names for the Cubs in Iowa. Connor Noland is also a starter to watch in Iowa, but unless the Cubs add more AAA pitching depth, it could be another long year for that pitching staff.

Consider the upcoming Japan series as a reason they may want to add more depth. Given that the Cubs have been slowly ramping up their starters for that series only to slow them down again until opening day, you have to consider another injury happening to someone, and the Cubs will leave no stone unturned to prevent a dramatic falloff.

While most free-agent starters have already been accounted for, two names have surfaced with the Cubs over the past 24 hours. Both pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2024.

Ken Rosenthal had the latest.

"Chicago Cubs, relatively healthy at the moment, are among the clubs seeking potential rotation help, a search that might intensify depending on how they fare in their season-opening series against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Tokyo on March 18-19.

"The Cubs are keeping [Kyle] Gibson and [Lance] Lynn on their radar in case issues arise after the team’s early ramp-up for spring training and long trip to Japan, sources say.”

Those two names seemingly want fans to pull their hair out, but both are veteran arms that would be used as insurance policies should issues arise. Chicago is hoping that doesn't happen, but they always like to try to stay one leg up on everyone else.

Both Gibson and Lynn are nearing the end of their careers and are sitting at 37 years old. However, if you are looking for someone who is consistent and knows what you will get from one start to the next, Gibson would be the better option of these two choices.

Not only has Gibson been very consistent, but he has been as reliable as they come for a long time and will give you close to 170 innings of work each season. Take last season, for example, as Gibson made 30 starts for the Cardinals in 2024, going 8-8 with a 4.24 ERA and 169 2/3 innings of work. That included one of his better starts of the season against the Cubs earlier in the season as he continued to provide the reliability every team looks for in the back of their rotation.

Looking at his entire career, you get a guy who has posted a 112-108 career mark with an ERA hovering around 4.50. That may not be considered ideal, but that rounds out to allow three runs every six innings pitched, which isn't bad. Although he has been a .500 pitcher most of his career, he has logged double-digit wins eight times, with his best season coming with the Orioles in 2023, going 15-9 with a 4.73 ERA.

If the Cubs are looking for a potential innings eater at the back of their rotation, Gibson would be the man for the job and could be had for a very reasonable deal. On the other hand, Lynn is a much different story, as he is coming off a great season following a horrendous 2023. Lynn was solid across 23 starts with the Redbirds last season and posted a 7-4 mark with a 3.84 ERA.

That was his lowest ERA since the 2021 season, and he did that while throwing 117 innings. Although that comes out to less than five innings per start, Lynn is at the point in his career where five innings may be the best he can give you from one start to the next. When you look at his career trajectory, Lynn was once seen as a promising arm who helped anchor the Cardinals' rotation during their early 2010s World Series teams.

He didn't officially make an impact until 2012, but he broke onto the scene by going 18-7 that season with a 3.78 ERA. The 18 wins are a career-high, but Lynn has also posted nine seasons of at least 10 wins and has gone 143-99 with a 3.74 ERA. A large chunk of those wins came during those nine double-digit winning seasons, but he did start his career by going 81-57 across his first six seasons with a combined ERA of 3.62 in those years.

Even if he is a far cry from that guy, Lynn has proven reliable enough to remain in the rotation and would be an excellent insurance policy to stash at the back of the Cubs rotation. The problem with Lynn is that he would only accept a job if he had a guaranteed spot, while Gibson may be open to signing a Minor League deal and going from there.