The Chicago Cubs might be the favorite to win the World Series next season, but they still have some questions regarding their starting rotation. There will undoubtedly be a competition in spring training to determine the team's No. 4 and No. 5 starters, but right now that's subject to speculation.
Ever since the team acquired Adam Warren from the New York Yankees, rumors began to facilitate in regards to whether or not he'd be used in the rotation or the bullpen. The right-hander had success in both roles with the Yanks last season, as you can see below:
Starter: 6-6 with a 3.66 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 67 strikeouts in 17 starts (96 innings)
Reliever: 1-1 with a 2.29 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 37 strikeouts in 26 games (35-1/3 innings)
There's a chance Warren could be an upgrade or a more consistent option over Kyle Hendricks (8-7, 3.95 ERA in 32 starts) or Jason Hammel (10-7, 3.74 ERA in 31 starts). Still, that remains to be seen.
"We have a lot of guys that can start in the big leagues and I'm sure a lot of those guys will make starts for the Cubs next year," general manager Jed Hoyer told Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com.
Warren also comes into Chicago with a fresh arm. The 28-year-old has pitched in 147 games, totaling 289-1/3 innings, in about three MLB seasons. He's spent most of his career as a reliever, but his stint as a starter last season turned some heads. That could prove valuable for the Cubs, who have a number of veteran starters (Jon Lester, John Lackey and Hammel) with a lot of mileage on the odometer.
And not to mention...
"The Cubs also had to contend with playing nearly seven months last year with their ace, Jake Arrieta, piling up nearly 250 total innings. That could be a factor in his performance moving forward, so, for many reasons the front office set out to find more depth this winter," writes Rogers.
(Last month Rogers appeared on the Baseball Tonight Podcast with Buster Olney and talked about how Arrieta could be limited a bit in 2016 due to his heavy workload last season, which you can read more about here.)
"The team added without subtracting as Lackey signed on and Starlin Castro was traded to the New York Yankees for Warren. That's two more starters than they had last season, but is Warren headed to the bullpen or could he unseat Hendricks as the No. 5 starter? That's assuming Hammel's job is safe. The Cubs partly blame a leg injury before the All-Star break as the beginning of his demise."
As rumors continue to lightly circulate regarding Arrieta's workload for 2016 as well as the job security of both Hendricks and Hammel, it seems more and more likely that Warren, even if he's not an everyday starter next year, will get some starts to take the pressure off the rest of the rotation and provide some days off for the others.
There are a lot of narratives surrounding the Cubs' starting rotation heading into 2016. However, Warren's narrative will depend on how the others unfold.
