Veteran right-hander Jameson Taillon was cut from the Chicago Cubs after enduring his worst season in the big leagues and recently opened up about why his time ended in the organization.
“We were trying everything with the Cubs, and we hit a point where it was the end of the road,” Taillon told reporters, including Mitch Bannon of The Athletic. “Nothing was really changing.”
The righty had an ugly 5.92 ERA through 15 starts this season. He was designated for assignment near the end of July. Taillon was ultimately traded to the Toronto Blue Jays in a cash deal. He struggled in his team debut last week, allowing three earned runs over four innings against the Houston Astros.
The 34-year-old Taillon is averaging under 92 mph on his fastball for the first time in his 10-year MLB career. His 5.96 ERA is easily his highest mark as a big leaguer. It’s clear he’s been a diminished version of himself this year. “I don’t want this to be a shot at anybody, but I just hadn’t really felt right for a while,” Taillon said.
Jameson Taillon Hit Roadblock With Chicago Cubs, Made Changes After Leaving
GettyHOUSTON, TEXAS – AUGUST 05: Jameson Taillon #56 of the Toronto Blue Jays pitches during the first inning against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park on August 05, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
After failing to get back on track with the Cubs, Taillon took the time he had before arriving in Toronto to refine his approach. He visited Tread Athletics, where he works out in the offseason, to find a solution. “I was like, ‘I’m gonna go take action and see if a different voice will help.'”
Taillon worked on increasing the velocity of his cutter at Tread. He also added a gyro slider to his arsenal. The righty averaged 88.2 mph on the cutter in his first start with the Blue Jays. It’s a 2 mph bump from the pitch’s previous velocity. The final line was unappealing, but Taillon had a whopping 17.5% swinging-strike rate in Houston.
The Cubs added Taillon on a four-year, $68 million deal heading into the 2023 season. He posted an unsightly 4.84 ERA in 30 appearances during his first year with the club. The veteran got back on track from there, putting together back-to-back sub-4.00 ERA campaigns. Injuries limited Taillon to 23 starts last year. He missed time earlier this season with a hamstring strain. Taillon hasn’t reached 30 starts in a season since 2022 with the New York Yankees.
Cubs Stuck Paying Taillon For Rest of 2026
In order to facilitate the deal to the Blue Jays, the Cubs had to fork over nearly $5 million to cover the remaining money on his contract. Taillon is making $18 million this season. Toronto is only paying about $750K for his services.
Taillon had more than enough service time to reject an outright assignment, so he was likely heading to free agency if a trade wasn’t reached. An opposing team would’ve been on the hook for the rest of his salary if they made a waiver claim, which meant Taillon would’ve almost certainly passed through waivers.
Jameson Taillon On Cubs Departure: ‘Nothing was really changing’