Jameson Taillon Reportedly Drawing Interest from Yankees, Astros, Red Sox, Orioles
The Cubs came out of the All-Star break with a feeble showing in their first two series, scoring just nine runs in six games to maintain their last-place pace. And while that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re going to hold a fire sale, Jed Hoyer made it pretty clear they’re punting on the remainder of this season. Only trouble is that their suboptimal roster construction and poor offensive performance means they don’t have too many players whose value can be maximized at the deadline.
Provided they’re not dumb enough to actually consider trading Justin Steele, their most valuable trade chip may actually be Jameson Taillon. He’s pitched very well this season after working on some mechanical tweaks and getting past a back issue that sidelined him for a while in the early going, plus he’s got two more years of control at a very reasonable $17 million AAV.
That’s the kind of guy a team should hold onto if it really plans to contend next year, but the Cubs might not be able to pass on offers if a bidding war ensues for Taillon’s services. The competition may get pretty fierce if Mark Feinsand’s sources are accurate, particularly when it comes to a trio of AL East foes. Along with the Astros, who have risen back to the top of the AL West, Feinsand reported that the Yankees, Red Sox, and Orioles have all expressed interest in the Cubs righty.
According to sources, the Astros, Orioles, Red Sox and Yankees are among the teams that have expressed interest in Cubs RHP Jameson Taillon.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) July 26, 2024
Even assuming there are other interested parties, as there certainly should be, one of those teams jumps out at me like the obvious correct answer on a multiple-choice test. The Orioles have done a tremendous job of acquiring and developing prospects over the last few years and they boast a plethora of talented young players at or near the bigs. They’re also hungry to make good on all those years of tanking, especially if it means beating the Yankees and Red Sox in more ways than one.
Imagine how great it would be for fans in Baltimore to acquire a starting pitcher two of their rivals coveted, then either keeping those foes out of the postseason or beating them in October. There’s a measure of that involved with the Astros as well, since landing Taillon would likewise keep him out of Houston. Between their youthful roster and desire to make a splash, it’s hard to argue there’s a better potential Cubs trade partner than the Orioles.
Ah, but here’s the rub: Unless that combination of circumstances pushes the O’s — or any other team, for that matter — near desperation, the Cubs don’t need to trade Taillon. That goes back to what I wrote at the start of the third paragraph. This can’t be a move to clear salary or balance the scales to some extent, it can only be justified by getting back a very big haul that includes at least one player who’s either big-league-ready or just about to be.
This feels like a 50/50 possibility to me at this point, so I’d say it comes down to whether one of these teams blows Jed Hoyer away with an offer ahead of next Tuesday’s deadline.