The Cubs finally have some breathing room on the pitching front, and that makes the latest Phil Maton update sting a little differently.
With Edward Cabrera and Daniel Palencia working through minor-league rehab assignments and the trade deadline adding fresh arms to the mix, Chicago’s depth has gone from shaky to manageable. Clay Holmes, Kevin Gausman, Ryan Zeferjahn and Braxton Garrett all came in via trades, giving Jed Hoyer and Craig Counsell more options than they’ve had in a while. In that setting, Maton’s situation looks even more concerning.
What was being treated as knee tendonitis is now something more serious. Maton has been diagnosed with a partially torn patellar tendon after dealing with knee problems that sent him to the IL three times this season. That diagnosis leaves his chances of getting back on the mound this year very much in question.
It’s a rough turn for a pitcher the Cubs made a real commitment to last winter, signing him to a two-year, $14.5 million deal with a team option for 2028. The hope then was that Chicago was buying into a reliever coming off a strong year.
Maton had posted a 2.35 ERA in 40 appearances split between Texas and St. Louis, and his profile suggested a pitcher who could keep getting outs even without standout fastball velocity.
That hasn’t been the story in Chicago. In 31 appearances, Maton has a 6.18 ERA, and his Baseball Savant page has not offered much reason to think a turnaround is waiting around the corner.
The contrast with last season is stark: then, he was getting by on spin and doing just about everything well. This year, the results have gone the other way entirely.
At this point, there’s no incentive for the Cubs to push him. When he’s less than 100 percent, he’s not helping anybody on the mound.
With the size of the investment already on the books, the priority has to be getting him healthy enough to matter again. For Chicago, that means aiming for a version of Maton who can contribute in 2027 rather than trying to squeeze anything out of him now.
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