Jameson Taillon had his best year for the Chicago Cubs in 2024. The 32-year-old veteran overcame an early-season injury to become a vital part of the Cubs pitching staff and pitched well enough to be the subject of many trade rumors around the 2024 MLB Trade Deadline. After a sub-par 2023 that left many regretting Chicago's decision to sign Taillon to a four-year, $68 million deal in the 2022 offseason, the right-hander came in and delivered for the Cubs. He had a 12-8 record, 3.27 ERA and a 2.2 WAR in 165.1 innings pitched across 28 starts.
By the end of the year, Taillon was arguably the Chicago Cubs' most dependable starter, asked to go deeper into games and face tough teams. This often came back to bite Chicago Manager Craig Counsell, but with the production that Taillon displayed when he was out on the mound, it was hard to blame the skipper for trusting Taillon to carry a bigger load for the Cubs. The successful 2024 campaign has opened a door to wide speculation for Taillon's destination going forward as the trade chatter that died down after the deadline will start to pick back up this winter.
Jameson Taillon came into 2024 off a poor campaign in 2023 during his first year in Chicago. After signing a four-year deal, Taillon could only manage to barely keep his ERA below 5.00 and register a WAR of 0. To make matters worse, the former second overall pick in the MLB Draft got injured in Spring Training, putting his 2024 in jeopardy. Taillon suffered a lower back injury that kept him out of Spring Training action and put serious doubt on his ability to validate the contract he received to help bring the Chicago Cubs to the postseason.
The injury kept him out for the start of the season and the severity of his ailment wasn't known. For all first-year manager Craig Counsell knew, Taillon wouldn't be available for the first half of the season, opening the door for Javier Assad to make the starting rotation. As the opening weeks of the season unfolded, though, it became clear that Taillon was much closer to a return than originally thought. The next question was how would Taillon perform after a down year in 2023 and how could he help a Chicago club that had aspirations of winning the NL Central.
Getting Back Into a Groove
The answer for the first half of the season was tremendous as far as Taillon was concerned. Back and well-rested, Taillon came out with great command and healthy velocity on his pitches and as he ramped back up to full stamina, the veteran was putting his paltry 2023 in the rearview mirror. The Chicago Cubs won Taillon's first four outings and Taillon himself recorded three victories. More prevalent and successful for Taillon was his breaking ball. He was able to throw it effectively in many locations and many different counts, giving himself great leverage against hitters looking for fastballs.
That effectiveness was put to the test as the early portion of the season played out. Taillon was left in the game in more and more precarious situations, trusted to work out of jams, and face lineups for a third time. The veteran fared well in these scenarios, but on a team that struggled to produce offensively. Too often when Taillon couldn't manage to get out of innings unscathed, there was no response from his teammates and the ball club began to lose some of Taillon's solid starts. Offensively and defensively, the starting lineup couldn't back up Taillon and the team faltered.
Rampant Trade Deadline Talk
Despite the rough patch that led up to the MLB Trade Deadline, Jameson Taillon found himself being a hot commodity for teams better positioned for contention. He had shown an ability to get crucial outs and bear the weight of high-pressure situations for the Chicago Cubs, leading teams to inquire if they could benefit from the right-hander's strong 2024 season. The chatter was amplified by the Cubs' substandard performance as they struggled to get up to .500.
With teams like the Orioles and Yankees asking about a possible trade, Taillon was inundated with questions about his involvement at the deadline. Up until the final days of the deadline, it was unclear what would come of Taillon and fans were torn in Chicago as to what the front office should do. Taillon had reclaimed his early season form and the Chicago Cubs were winning games on the arm of the veteran starter, making his value soar and the decision unclear.
When Taillon took the mound against the Cincinnati Reds two days before the official deadline, it became more certain that Taillon was going to stay on the north side with the Chicago Cubs. The chaotic energy surrounding the July 31 deadline died down and the Cubs' starter carried on. He found himself in a rut though that started against the Reds and lasted the entire month of August. This further ignited conversation about the decision made to keep Taillon.
Helping a Chicago Cubs Playoff Push
The Chicago Cubs ended up missing out on the playoffs and after pushing the Cubs enough and making them keep him on the club to make an October push, Taillon's 2024 started trending downwards. He gave up at least four runs in five out of his next six starts and the momentum he had built up in the season's first four months began to crater, along with the team's chances of playing in the postseason.
He struggled with command and couldn't stay ahead of hitters in the count. Early in the season, Taillon had been one of the best pitchers in the league at getting ahead of hitters before wearing them down. As batters got ahead of Taillon, they could get more favorable counts and punish the right-hander. It took some adjusting, but Taillon turned it around in September and got back to what had made him successful. Getting ahead of hitters and inducing weak contact. He used his cutter much more frequently and made his curveball a wipeout pitch.
Jameson Taillon finished 2024 strong, throwing to the tune of a sub-1.00 ERA in September, including 13 scoreless innings to end the season. He bore the brunt of duty for the Chicago Cubs staff once he returned from the IL. Although there were some bumps in the road and a chaotic couple of weeks in July, overall it was a good year for Taillon. He did much to remind Chicago Cubs fans why he was signed to a four-year deal and now enters the offseason with a host of questions about whether he will be back for 2025. If the Chicago Cubs decide to trade him, at least he will have left the city on a good note.
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