Assad, Suzuki showing out for Cubs on World Baseball Classic stage
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MESA, Ariz. -- Javier Assad’s performance for Mexico in the last World Baseball Classic three years ago helped the pitcher cement his case for inclusion on the Cubs’ Opening Day roster. The righty is once again on the international stage while also competing for a place in Chicago’s pitching staff.
The difference this time around is the depth that the Cubs have in both the rotation and bullpen. At present, there are no vacancies within the starting staff and just one relief job seemingly up for grabs this spring. Chicago also knows what Assad brings to the equation and that -- even if the Opening Day spot is not there -- he will impact the team in ‘26.
“Somebody like Javy, the point is, you don’t try to figure out where they fit,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said on Saturday morning. “We don’t have to do that. At some point, we’re going to need Javy’s outs. When, is probably the question. But we want him pitching well and obviously he’s shown the ability to get big league hitters out and at a pretty high level.”
During Friday’s 8-2 win over Great Britain in the World Baseball Classic, the 28-year-old Assad started for Team Mexico and turned in 3 2/3 shutout innings. That followed two solid Cactus League outings, in which he logged 4 1/3 shutout frames with five strikeouts and no walks. That included three innings against a Dodgers lineup that featured a handful of their star bats.
“He pitched great,” Counsell said about Assad’s performance for Mexico. “I mean, he pitched great against the Dodgers, I thought. His outing against the Dodgers was really, really good. So, not surprised. He’s on top of it right now.”
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The issue for Assad is that the Cubs’ Opening Day rotation projects to include Matthew Boyd, Edward Cabrera, Cade Horton, Shota Imanaga and Jameson Taillon. Next in line is veteran Colin Rea, who is ticketed for the relief corps right now. Ben Brown and Assad would be subsequent options either as starting depth or multi-inning bullpen possibilities.
Assad was limited to 37 innings in the regular season due to injury last year, but managed a 3.65 ERA in his eight appearances. The righty made 29 starts for the Cubs in ‘24, posting a 3.73 ERA in 147 innings. He bounced between the rotation and bullpen in ‘23, turning in a 3.05 ERA after opening eyes with his stint with Mexico in that spring’s Classic.
“You don’t know what’s going to happen right now,” Counsell said. “You’ve got Plan A. It’s, ‘How long can you be on Plan A?’ At some point, you're going to have to go to a different plan. That’s why more than the [13 MLB pitchers] is really important. And then, just how we handle building out the team, that’s not set in stone by any means.”
Shota solid in latest start
The pitching line was not necessarily pristine, but Imanaga continued to post solid peripherals in his latest Cactus League effort for the Cubs.
On Saturday afternoon against the A’s, Imanaga held his improved velocity (92.1 mph on average for his fastball, per Statcast) and generated nine whiffs, while building up to 62 pitches. The lefty allowed three runs on five hits, including one homer, ending with three strikeouts and no walks in 3 2/3 innings.
Cubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy noted that Imanaga’s next outing will likely be a simulated game, as opposed to the Cactus League setting. Hottovy explained that the team wants to “push volume” in a controlled environment, taking a step back from the intensity of a Major League game.
Seiya blasts off in Tokyo
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Seiya Suzuki was very much looking forward to impacting Samurai Japan’s lineup in the World Baseball Classic this year after an injury kept him out of the previous tournament. In Saturday’s 8-6 win over Korea, Suzuki did just that, launching a pair of home runs at the Tokyo Dome.
Suzuki’s teammates in Arizona got to enjoy the moment from a unique perspective, too. Former MLB star Adam Jones sent Counsell a video from Tokyo, showing the raucous environment leading up to one of the outfielder’s blasts. Counsell played the clip for his team prior to the day’s workout.
“A great video,” Counsell said. “Adam Jones is in the outfield sitting in the stands and the whole crowd is chanting Seiya’s name and then he hits a home run. And the place goes crazy. Everybody’s hugging each other. Really, really cool. That’s a great experience. That’s why you play in the WBC, for moments like that.”