CINCINNATI – Cubs right-hander Jameson Taillon wiped the sweat from under the brim of his cap and tugged on the front of his jersey as he neared the dugout.
In the Cubs’ 7-1 loss Monday to the Reds, he’d just had his worst start in an overwhelmingly consistent season, the Cincinnati air thick with humidity and trade rumors. He allowed a season-high six earned runs in 4 ⅓ innings.
His name has come up in more reports than any other Cub, as contending teams have surveyed possible opportunities to add starting pitching for the stretch run and beyond.
“There’s been a little bit of noise and stuff, and I’m human, and I’m aware of it,” said Taillon, who has been consistent in his desire to stay with the Cubs. “But at the same time, I still did all my normal work. And then when you’re out there, it’s the last thing you would ever think of when you’re between the lines.”
Interest, it should be noted, doesn’t mean an inevitable trade. Taillon’s strong season paired with the two more years left on his four-year, $68 million contract give the Cubs the ability to stick to a high standard for a return.
He also has a partial no-trade clause and said no one in the front office has approached him personally about approval for any potential trades to teams on that list.
Not to mention, if the Cubs were to trade Taillon, it would be difficult to hide his absence with internal options, especially considering injuries to their young starting pitching options.
The Tigers scratched Jack Flaherty from his scheduled start on Monday amid reports that the team was working to trade him. Asked if the Cubs had considered something similar with Taillon, manager Craig Counsell answered almost before the question was out: “No.”
“Craig told me yesterday, ‘Don’t listen to anything; you’re starting tomorrow,’” Taillon said. “And I went to bed last night knowing I was pitching today.”
The Cubs’ first two trade deadline moves brought in former Blue Jays first-round pick Nate Pearson, who allowed one run in 1 ⅓ innings Monday before being ejected, and All-Star Rays third baseman Isaac Paredes. They gave up young fan favorite Christopher Morel, rookie reliever Hunter Bigge and three other prospects.
“I feel like we do have a good group as is, right now,” Taillon said. “And then we went out and made this team better. And it’s for the years to come, too.”
Pearson made his Cubs debut on Monday and was tossed for hitting the Reds’ Tyler Stephenson in the head with a sinker.
“Trying to run a two-seam [fastball], trying to get inside and slipped, and unfortunately hit him in the helmet,” Pearson said. “It was not not my intention at all.”
Counsell came to his defense and, for a long and animated argument with first-base umpire James Hoye, also was ejected.
“Guys getting hit in the head is not good,” Counsell said after the game. “Not good at all – their team, our team, not good.
“There’s just no intent there.”
To the previous batter, Jeimer Candelario, Pearson gave up a first-pitch home run.
It was a game full of Reds homers and Cubs flyouts to the warning track. Michael Busch’s ninth-inning long ball was the lone exception, accounting for the Cubs’ only run.
All but one of the runs Taillon allowed Monday came on a pair of home runs to left-handed batters, one from Will Benson in the second inning and the other from TJ Friedl in the fifth. Spencer Steer also scored on a wild pitch in the third.
“[The pitch to] Friedl wasn’t a horrible spot,” Taillon said. “Benson, I wanted the curveball below the zone.”
Taillon will know definitively on Tuesday whether he’ll get another start as a Cub. The trade deadline is at 5 p.m. CT.
“When you see your name [in rumors], you’re going to think about it,” Counsell said. “That’s real, for sure. But Jamo knows he’s got a job to do, as well. And I expect him to be here tomorrow.”