Jordan

Wicks

The move seemingly paves the way for the Cubs to acquire lefty Drew Pomeranz from the Mariners, as first reported by The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. That deal isn’t official yet, but Wicks removal from the active roster clears a spot ahead of Tuesday’s series opener against the Dodgers.

After giving up five runs in 9 2/3 innings in two starts for Iowa, Wicks was moved to the pen for his last appearances and pitched three perfect innings with five strikeouts. He’s set to work in middle relief for now, though if he does go long this weekend, he might quickly be swapped out for a fresh arm.

Wicks has a chance at earning the fifth spot in the Cubs’ rotation if Ben Brown continues to struggle in his audition as a starter. However, the Cubs are going to want to see a better effort out of Wicks, who also walked two batters and only struck out three against the Pirates’ Triple-A affiliate.

Wicks, 25, will not open the season in the rotation but instead get work in Triple-A with Iowa. Morgan also was sent down to the PCL, and he could be an up-and-down option for the Cubs whenever the team needs an extra reliever.

It remains to be seen if the deal gets finalized, but it appears to be close. Lynn isn’t a bad choice to fill out an MLB rotation since he registered a 3.84 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, and a 109/44 K/BB ratio over 117 1/3 innings in 23 starts with the Cardinals in 2024. He will certainly not be ready for Opening Day if the Cubs sign him two weeks before the season starts, but he could push Colin Rea or Jordan Wicks for the fifth spot in the rotation by the end of April.

Wicks allowed three hits, walked none and struck out two. A sleeper last spring, Wicks wound up missing much of the year with injuries and failing to meet expectations when healthy. That’d led to minimal expectations this time around, but the Javier Assad injury has put him back into the mix for a rotation spot and he has a 2.08 ERA this spring. He still might go to Triple-A initially, but he’s worth keeping an eye on.

On the plus side, Wicks piled up three strikeouts on the day and didn’t issue a base on balls. The Angels pushed across single runs in each of the first two innings — with Tim Anderson crushing a solo homer in the first and Chuckie Robinson grounding into a force out that plated a run with the bases loaded in the second. He has tallied five strikeouts through 4 2/3 innings to start Cactus League play while posting a 3.86 ERA and 1.50 WHIP. He could wind up as the Cubs’ fifth starter to open the season if Javier Assad (oblique) isn’t ready in time.

After an uneventful first inning, Wicks pitched himself into and out of trouble in the second inning, allowing three singles to Austin Barnes, Miguel Rojas and Chris Taylor before buckling down Andy Pages on a force out and Ryan Ward on strikes with the bases loaded to end the threat. With Javier Assad dealing with an oblique strain early in camp, the door could be open for Wicks to break camp in the Cubs’ rotation if he pitches well in Cactus League competition.

This comes after Assad underwent an MRI on his oblique after dealing with some soreness. The right-hander still has plenty of time to be ready for Opening Day, but Chicago won’t rush the right-hander back and risk further injury. If healthy, Assad should pitch in the back of the Cubs’ rotation, but this could open a chance for Jordan Wicks or Ben Brown — among others — to win a spot in the Cactus League.

Mooney reported from manager Craig Counsell’s press conference that the Cubs are likely going to look to add a veteran starting pitcher to join Justin Steele, Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon, and Javier Assad. That means that the younger starters are not in any Opening Day plans as of now. “Now with all of them, there’s been injuries,” explained Counsell. “And it’s not a big sample as of yet. But that’s also kind of the nature of pitching. It’s the nature of young pitching.” Horton was one of the most well-regarded pitching prospects in the minors before a shoulder injury ended his season in August. As of now, it appears that fantasy managers are hoping for a mid-season call-up in 2025 at best.