Cubs not seeing an ROI in pitching so far

The Chicago Cubs pitching staff has gone through some real struggles so far this season. It’s easy to look at the injuries as the main culprit, and they’re definitely a factor, but the healthy big-money arms have had their issues too.

Three guys that stick out right now are Jameson Taillon, Shota Imanaga, and Phil Maton. They are all currently healthy, among the top in their respective position’s payroll, and struggling.

The numbers vs. the pay

Taillon and Imanaga are the two highest-paid starting pitchers on the team, and Maton is the highest-paid reliever (under contract for two years). To look at the stats vs. the pay:

Shota Imanaga: 4.37 ERA, 4.41 FIP, 13 HR given up in 70 innings – $22.025 million salary in 2026

Jameson Taillon: 5.37 ERA, 6.56 FIP, 19 HR given up in 60.1 innings – $18 million salary in 2026

Phil Maton: 7.64 ERA, 5.10 FIP, 5.09 BB/9 in 17.2 innings – $5.5 million salary in 2026

Totaling that up, that’s $45,525,000 worth of salary going towards a combined 5.17 ERA and 35 home runs given up so far between the three pitchers. If we wanted to expand on this, Matthew Boyd (injured) has a 6.00 ERA (though a 2.32 FIP) in 24 innings this year at $14.5 million, and Hunter Harvey is making $5 million while having pitched only 4.0 innings.

Putting it in perspective.

While still fairly early in the season, these numbers are just way off from what the money these guys are making. Unfortunately, the home run issues for Taillon and Imanaga are part of their game. Something has to be done about the frequency of those home runs, though, it won’t be easy with warm weather arriving.

These are also just not overpowering pitchers. Imanaga and Maton can generate whiffs via spin, location, and offspeed, but the fastballs or hanging breakers in the heart of the zone get pounded. Taillon has never been a big whiff pitcher, even when he was efficient. Velocity is a big part of modern baseball, and the team continues to have few active flame throwers.

All three of these guys have a recent track record of success. Taillon posted a 3.45 ERA and 1.1 WHIP from 2024-2025; Imanaga was an All-Star in 2024 and got off to a great start this year; and Maton pitched to a 2.79 ERA and 81 strikeouts in 61.1 innings last year. It’s hard to know with relievers like Maton, as they are fickle, and it’s a matter of whether Taillon and Imanaga can do a better job keeping the ball in the park more efficiently and with fewer guys on base.

Hopefully, there is improvement, but concern is valid. This just cannot continue.

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