Cubs outfielder Mike Tauchman has had plenty of uncertainty in his career. He’s bounced around from the Rockies to the Yankees and Giants, spent 2022 with the Hanwha Eagles of the KBO League and settled for a minor league deal with the Cubs going into 2023. But in 2024, he seems to have a bit more clarity on the path ahead of him. He tells Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times that manager Craig Counsell told him at the start of Spring Training that he has already made the team.
‘‘From a personal standpoint, [it’s] given me a little freedom to trial-and-error a couple of things, rather than really focusing on the results, focusing on ‘making the team,’ ’’ Tauchman said. ‘‘Because now it’s about getting ready for March 28 and the subsequent games that we have.’’
Tauchman, now 33, got added to the Cubs’ roster last year when Cody Bellinger was injured but played well enough to stick around even when Bellinger returned. He got into 108 games, drawing a walk in 14% of his 401 plate appearances. His home run total of eight was fairly modest but he was on-base enough to be above average at the plate overall. His .252/.363/.377 slash line translated to a wRC+ of 107. He also stole seven bases and got strong grades for his time on the grass, most of which was in center field. In 584 innings in center, he produced three Defensive Runs Saved and got a +1 from Outs Above Average.
That solid showing was enough for the Cubs to tender him an arbitration contract, with the two sides eventually agreeing to a $1.95MM salary. For part of this offseason, Tauchman may have been seen as the on-paper center fielder between Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ. Prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong would have been another option but he’s considered a glove-first player, is still shy of his 22nd birthday and has just 47 games played above Double-A.
The Cubs recently re-signed Bellinger and he figures to take the center field job. He also plays first base but it seems like the Cubs will give Michael Busch a chance to take that spot. That will likely leave Tauchman in a fourth outfielder role while Crow-Armstrong gets regular reps in Triple-A. An injury could always change things, with Happ currently dealing with a mild hamstring strain, but Tauchman seems to have a refreshingly secure gig for the time being.
Elsewhere in Cubs’ tidbits, the rotation figures to be an area of focus this year as the club looks to take a step forward after just missing the playoffs last year. Collectively, Cub starters had a 4.26 ERA last year which put them 14th in the majors. Since the club is going into 2024 with a fairly similar roster, improvement in the rotation could be a difference maker.
Marcus Stroman departed via free agency and the club signed Shota Imanaga to take his spot. Imanaga will be looking to make the transition from Japan, where pitchers often throw once a week, to the five-day cycle in North America.
Bruce Levine of 670 The Score relays that the club plans on using off-days and spot starters to help him with the adjustment, which could perhaps lead to some extra starts for optionable depth arms. The club figures to have Justin Steele, Kyle Hendricks, Jameson Taillon and Imanaga in four rotation spots, with one more spot available to Jordan Wicks, Javier Assad, Hayden Wesneski, Caleb Kilian or Ben Brown.
Everyone in that latter group has options and may start the season in the minors but it sounds like there will be opportunities to make big league appearances as the season rolls along. The occasional spot start will be used to give Imanaga and the other guys a breather and injuries are fairly inevitable for pitchers, which will open other chances.
Taillon will be looking for a bounceback season, as his first campaign with the Cubs wasn’t strong, finishing with a 4.84 ERA. That potential bounceback season is off to a bumpy start, however, as Lee reports that Taillon is dealing with some soreness in both of his calves. That issue doesn’t seem debilitating and he still appears to be on track for Opening Day if he doesn’t experience any setbacks, but it’s a situation worth monitoring over the weeks to come since a return to form for Taillon will be important for the Cubs this year.
You love to see a guy like Tauchman get another chance to be a MLB regular. Loved him on the Yankees. Best of luck to him.
For less than 2 million, if he puts up similar numbers to 2023, Tauchman will provide value.
Great fielding, high OBP, always hustling…respect all day for Tauchman.
Nobody asked me but:
1. Since Tauchman has made the team I’m not convinced Canario is going to Iowa just yet. Canario can be a DH against LH P’s or even play for Happ as he leaves something to be desired RH. Maybe they keep Cooper and platoon him with Busch, Or let Belli play 1B against LH pitchers and then Canario can play LF or CF. But he has to get his average up.
2. Looks like Wicks has the 5th starter job locked up. Especially since Wesneski and Assad have looked less than Stellar so far. I’d say right now Wesneski goes to Iowa unless he does a big about face.
3. Morel has done a fine job at 3rd base like I thought he would. Don’t want to say I said so but I did.
4. Mastro not Madrigal should go North. Madrigal is already hurt, You just can’t count on the guy.
5. Now that we have Cooper can we please get rid of Wisdom? He really has no purpose other than doing push ups against kids at the Convention.
6. The bullpen should be interesting this year. Edwards has actually looked pretty good and Little and Palencia have been pretty good. With Alzolay, Neris, Leiter Jr. and Merryweather it looks solid. Bigge and Hodge have the stuff to come up and fill in. Sanders has the Stuff but he still leaves too many in the wheelhouse, He needs to work on it. Almonte hasn’t even pitched yet and Cuas never really impressed me. So take your pick for 8th guy. Killian has looked good so far. I like what I see from him and Brown.
I like what I’ve seen and Counsell is proving he’s not Ross by giving younger guys the chance to play that Ross never got.
But nobody asked me. LOL Great thing about this site is nobody asked but I can say it anyway.
Regarding Wisdom. I agree he should be moving on. Safe to say he was one of those players that David Ross liked. Since Ross was fired, I expected Wisdom to be released. Obviously hasn’t happened. Looks like he still has friends in high places.
Every couple of million the Cubs can save by trading guys like Wisdom, Madrigal, Almonte and Smyly will be that much more deadline money. They might need it. Those guys are redundant here but somebody should be able to use them. They’re mostly reasonable except Smyly. I suppose even eating 5 million on Smyly and trading those other guys would save about 1o million. Losing Bote’s 5 million would be a huge asset also but hasn’t happened yet.
I agree with you about Canario. I think he needs to be on the roster. We could use some youth infusion & the electricity these young guys can bring to the table. Plus, I think he’s ready for more consistent big league ABs. Would love to see him be the consistent DH vs LHP.
I also tend to agree with you about Wizzy. I really have a hard time seeing the value in a bench guy that can’t hardly hit over .200 & strikes out well over 30% of the time. You gotta think that bringing in a pinch hitter who is more likely to move runners & get on base is much more valuable than a all-or-nothing hitter. Especially when you string it along for the entire season.
My point there is though, that I do feel like Madrigal can be a valuable bench guy. He still makes a ton of contact, & really, a lot of times, that’s all you really need from the pinch hitter – just move the runners & give the next guy a chance. Mastro though, has flashed some upside & brings more fielding versatility & speed, but I don’t think he’s a reliable pinch hitter. Think of it this way – you’re in the 7th inning, 1 out, runner on 2nd, down by 1, hitter due up is cold or in a mismatch…who would you trust the most to come in off the bench & push the ball through the right side of the field??
The question is how does Madrigal get into the game from the IL?
And you can’t really say that Madrigal, A RH hitter has a better chance to hit to the right side than the LH Mastrobuoni? You aren’t saying that right?
Facts people aren’t saying:
1. Cubs Tax # right now according to Spotrac is 230 million.
Means they have 7 million to spend. Not 3. They brought Bellinger in at 27 million instead of 30 million everybody says.
2. Getting rid of Madrigal, Wisdom and Almonte in trades saves another 7 million or so. which would give them 14 million. Even losing half of Smyly saves 5 and brings it around 20 million- More than enough to make moves at the deadline if needed.
3. Money that can come off after this year:
Hendricks 16 million
Smyly -11( Mutual option)
Bote-5( Team option)
Gomes-6( FA)
Mancini-7
Boxberger-1
Barnhardt-3
That’s 50 million more to play with and no big holes to fill.
That could even swell to 80 million if Bellinger opts out but that hole might be filled internally by next year.
That puts the Cubs in the drivers seat as far as I’m concerned in the division for quite some time.
Well, hopefully he won’t be a regular on this team. With Happ in left, Belli in center & Seiya in right, he should be a 4th of’er, assuming no major injuries to other players. That said, he is a damn good one.
Mike Tauchman was worth more than Seiya Suzuki in less at-bats last year.
You can’t be serious…???
Coop – I probably didn’t use the correct verbiage. What I meant by regular is that he’s on the team all year regardless of his role. He definitely is a wonderful bench player who can give you solid production in 70-80 games. You need guys like that on your team.
If he’s a regular on the Cubs, something went terribly wrong. He’s a nice bench player
Tauchman saved the Giants butts a couple times earlier in their 107 win season. Everything had to go right for us that year. Tauchman robbed Pujols in Dodger Stadium of a game winning homer. That catch alone was the difference between LA not winning the division against the Giants. He made a few other defensive gems early that season that helped the Giants momentum. I’m glad he’s getting another chance with the Cubs and wish him and the Cubs well this season.
And he made an over the wall, game winning catch against the Cardinals in St. Louis last season that was part of the 8 game win streak that kept Hoyer from selling at the deadline.
PCA has not made the team and should therefore wash off the blue dye in his hair.
The young man is certainly trying gotta give him credit.
Imagine thinking baseball ability has anything to do with hair color…
He’s a kid, leave him alone.
Iowa Cubs have the same colors so same thing except his hat will have an I instead of a C. So it’s fine.
The Cubs could still have Kris if they sweetened the deal enough for him. Shame they lost him.
Nah, as a Cubs I’ll speak for myself, but I was fine with Hoyer trading him to the Giants at the trade deadline and was okay with Hoyer not working out a deal in the 2021 offseason as well.
This guy is posting the same thing on different articles. He’s just trolling.
Kris Bryant? Really?
How’s he been doing in Colorado with that huge contract? He misses more games than he plays. And hasn’t performed when he does play all that much
Kris Bryant was a horrendous signing by the Rockies. He’s made of glass.
As a Cubs fan I’m glad he’s gone now, he can be the Rockies problem
When the Cubs moved Bryant, Rizzo and Baez, Hoyer has been completely vindicated so far. None of them were worth an extension and nowhere near anywhere what they got. Rizzo said he was insulted by the Cubs offer and signed for the exact same money with the Yankees. So I guess it wasn’t all that insulting in the end. Baez and Bryant have been 2 of the worst FA signings in the last 30 years IMO.
“The Cubs could still have Kris”….Based on his recent comments Kris Bryant hates being on the Rockies but his mercurial and narcissistic agent, Scott Boras, mostly ignores client happiness, “fit”, comfort level and career success when negotiating deals. Boras simply goes for the biggest bag of money offered and pretty much ignores all other factors. And I’m pretty sure the Cubs are uber glad they passed on Kris Bryant.
And in totally expected news Madrigal is already having leg problems and apparently so is Wisdom. That’s one expected news and one really good news for Unclemike,
Rumors have the Cubs looking to relocate. Maybe Charlotte or Nashville
lmao
That is the White Sox that those rumors are about.
Haha, Chicago is a Cubs town, they’ll never leave. They’re always among the league leaders in attendance, ratings, revenue, etc…
It’s the Northwest Indiana White Sox that will likely go to Nashville or wherever, no one will really care.
I thought the rumor was Cubs looking into Mexican Hat, Utah or Big Beaver PA.
Well, seeing you are a White Soxs fan means you confused your team with the Cubs again.
When Jerry finally does die expect the Soxs to play in Montreal.
No reason to move… clearly they’re living in your head rent free..
I object to PCA being known as a “glove-first” player, maybe because I think that phrase implies he can’t hit. Yes, his 80 grade defense in CF is his calling card. But he’s hit very well all through the minors. Again, I could be misunderstanding the usage. No question defense is his best attribute. But he can hit. Now,whether or not he’ll hit in the majors is unknown at this juncture. But he’s not glove-only.
He’s not glove only. But he’s most certainly glove over bat. Just like Dansby and Nico.
Until he learns how to hit big league pitching…objection overruled
Sad state that MLB is in when starting pitchers can’t go more than 5 innings and need more than 5 days rest between starts.
Old Hoss Radbourn would be embarrassed.
no kidding I remember the day where real pitchers can take LSD and throw complete game no hitters.
@Datashark
wRC+ of 92 for the SDP that season only shows you that the team was full of below average MLB players in 1970. No surprise.
Oddly enough, after all these years, SDP still sit with a wRC+ of 92, so they’ve often been a below average team.
except he pitched for the Pirates against SD
@Datashark
That’s what I’m saying. He pitched against a below average team in that game.
Lefty Grove wouldn’t even complain about it, he’d just pitch and mind his business.
@briar-patch thatcher
Guy knew how to pitch.
Other than a stinker against Toronto, Jameson’s 2nd half was pretty good. Plenty to build on and have a strong season. I’m expecting a lot of quality starts from him this year.
Hendricks has very similar numbers to a guy that got ALOT of money today.
@The real Oscar Gamble
Hendricks is an underrated player. He’s like the Greg Maddox of his time in that he’s not blowing the ball past you but you’re also not getting great contact and exit velocity when it is hit. Doesn’t walk anyone and has a decent K%. Need more of these durable guys pitching today not flame throwers that last a year or two before needing surgery and then fading into the background.
At $16 mil/year, Hendricks is definitely not underrated. Maybe not as exciting or highly-regarded as the run- of-the-mill flamethrower, but he’s getting paid a premium, nearly 4x what Justin Steele is making.
He has been doing it for way longer. Steele will be making way more than that when he has as much experience as Kyle.
MLB teams need to move to a 6 man rotation already. Pitchers’ arms aren’t capable of throwing 100 MPH and 200 innings a year.
These teams are increasing velo and having guys throw all out, then they need to adjust accordingly to distribute the load. It’s time to expand ML rosters
They did in the 30’s to the 60’s
They also knew HOW to pitch then. Every pitch doesn’t need to be 100 mph and max effort.
Some teams even pitched in a 4 man rotation. And most teams carried 10 pitchers. And that was at least through the 1970’s.
Oh yes the “glory days” of baseball, where only white people were allowed to play and players “actually knew how to hit/pitch”.
I love how people actually believe played back then were better back then and use zero brain power to realize how completely illogical that mindset is.
Guys used to throw pitch 300 innings… yeah because there was one player in baseball who knew how to hit home runs. Babe Ruth had more home runs than entire teams, and that isn’t a testament to how good Ruth was but how crappy the talent pool in baseball was.
“Guys hit .400” yep, because defenders didn’t have access to advanced analytics, didn’t cover near as much ground and used craptastic gloves.
Guys knew how to pitch… no, guys didn’t know how to hit. Played then used 45 ounce bats made of hickory. Even the “great ty Cobb” isn’t catching up to 95 plus with movement using a 45 ounce bat.
Sorry to break the illusion but we didn’t get bigger, fast, stronger, more technologically advanced, with better training, coaching, experience and yet somehow got worse at baseball. Anyone with an iota of critical thinking skills would know that.
No Gary. Not max effort guys. Today is different because they’re able to maximize velo. The game has changed in the last 70 years
How does a 2.4 bWAR player making $1.95m NOT make a modest team like the Cubs?