If you’re among the crowd that laments the way the Cubs have treated Javier Assad over the last few years, this latest bit of news isn’t going to make you feel any better. The righty bounced between Chicago and Triple-A Iowa again this past season despite all the big club’s pitching woes because he still had a minor-league option available. And while his underlying metrics indicate that he should have been awful, Assad managed to pitch competently once again.
Just not competently enough for the club to pick up his $3.3 million option for 2027, as MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian reported. Assad is still arbitration-eligible, however, so he remains under club control through 2028 at whatever salary that process determines. And based on MLB Trade Rumors’ projections, that should be just shy of $2 million for this coming season. That’s a very modest raise over the $1.8 million figure he earned for 2026.
I won’t argue with you about that being kind of a cheap move, though it’s not quite on par with Mr. Shirley eliminating Christmas bonuses in favor of a subscription to the Jelly of the Month Club. But if you’re among those who believe Assad is the gift that keeps on giving the whole year at Clark and Addison, I’ll caution you to look a little closer at those results.
Assad’s ERA has always been much better than his FIP, which wouldn’t be as much of a concern if he wasn’t in the first percentile among his peers in both chase and whiff rate. He’s among the bottom 10% in strikeout rate, and his hard-hit rate is just barely above that. Some wonder why he’s not being given more chances; I wonder how he’s been able to get away with this for so long.
My argument is that Assad’s limited usage is precisely why he’s been decent in spite of what the data says. The Cubs know that, which is why they’re being “cheap” in this instance. And if all goes well, Jed Hoyer will add enough pitching that Assad won’t be needed in the rotation next season.
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