Cubs Mailbag - What Does The Future Pitching Pipeline Look Like?

The Chicago Cubs have had quite the season so far. Despite minimal contributions from prized free-agent starter Yu Darvish, a tightrope walk (pun intended) any time Tyler Chatwood takes the hill, and slow starts from many of the Cubs' hitters, they still find themselves 10 games over .500 and just 2.5 games behind the NL Central leading Milwaukee Brewers through 56 games. But the Cubs' most recent road trip saw them take two of three in Pittsburgh and sweep a four game series against the New York Mets. During that time, the starting pitching and bullpen were absolutely phenomenal. So there's reason to believe that the Cubs might be starting to kick into gear. What's funny is that the Cubs, despite not playing consistently great ball all year, lead the National League in both runs scored and team ERA. Incredible, right? If things start clicking at the same time for most of the roster ... look out, MLB. With that, we reach into this week's Cubs Mailbag. Thank you to everyone who submitted questions!

The future of Cubs' pitching is going to be just fine. Looking at the starting rotation, the current group has the potential to be together for at least the next two years. Jon Lester, Tyler Chatwood, and Jose Quintana's contracts all go for two more years after this one. And Yu Darvish and Kyle Hendricks aren't going anywhere for a while. For those worried about how Darvish and Chatwood have performed thus far, keep in mind that Jon Lester did not start out well in his first season with the Cubs, but he eventually turned it around within Year 1 and has continued to dominate since. Give Darvish and Chatwood at least until after the All-Star Break before we start panicking. What's more is the Cubs have promising pitching talent developing in the minor leagues, too. Let's start with Adbert Alzolay: He's the Cubs' top pitching prospect and is rumored to be on pace to make an appearance with the big league club this year. Also progressing well are these names to watch: Duane Underwood, Alex Lange, Brendon Little, Oscar De La Cruz, and Thomas Hatch. All of them could be big-league ready at some point in 2019 and contribute in the rotation and out of the bullpen. So there's a lot to look forward to. And remember, as far as this year goes, the season is long -- We're barely a third of the way through. Sit back and enjoy the ride - the Cubs are going to be fine.

Paul with the double-dip! Appreciate the participation. The Cubs' farm system has certainly taken a bit of a hit since trading Gleyber Torres (worth it!) and Eloy Jimenez (remains to be seen) to acquire pitching. And they still have some talent in the farm system. However, remember that the Cubs have a ton of young players that have already risen through the ranks and are on the big league roster right now. Joe Maddon must have a field day figuring out lineup and alignment combinations on a daily basis. You look at Javy Baez, Addison Russell, Kyle Schwarber, Albert Almora Jr., Willson Contreras, and Ian Happ, all of whom are 25 and younger. Kris Bryant is just 26. This is a young-as-hell team, all are on rookie contracts, and many of them play multiple positions! That said, this kind of flexibility won't last forever. At some point, certain guys are going to get paid very well, while others won't be affordable anymore. But that isn't going to happen for some time. As far as trading away major league talent from the current field in order to acquire more pitching, that's not likely to happen, either. I honestly don't think the Cubs are going to be too active during this upcoming trade deadline. I can see them trying to acquire a back-end starter for depth purposes, and perhaps some speed on the basepaths. But that's about it. The team we see today is likely going to the be the team that competes for the playoffs by year-end.

Q: Who are your Cubs award winners after 1/3 of the season? -- Kevin R.

You're looking for award winners already? Those are always fun to assign. Here they are: Most Valuable Player -- Cubs' Bullpen Cy-Young Award Winner -- Jon Lester Most Underrated Player -- Steve Cishek Team Gold Glove -- Albert Almora Jr. Most Exciting Player -- Javy Baez Most Surprising Player -- Randy Rosario Most Reliable Player -- Ben Zobrist Least Reliable Player -- Tyler Chatwood Best Reliever -- Brandon Morrow Best Moment -- Scored nine runs in eighth inning to beat Braves 14-10 at Wrigley Field Most Random Moment -- Luke Farrell pitches five shutout extra innings in relief on the road against the Mets to allow the Cubs to steal a game in 14 innings Worst Moment -- Luke Farrell gives up walk-off homers in back-to-back games Weirdest Stat -- Cubs lead NL in runs scored and team ERA, but are second place in their own division