The Cubs designated Taillon for assignment Monday.
Taillon has been a staple in the Chicago rotation for the last three-plus seasons, but the 34-year-old right-hander declined precipitously in 2026. His 5.92 ERA over his 15 starts was by far the worst mark of his career, and most of Taillon's underlying metrics (5.86 xERA, 4.53 SIERA) didn't point to a major turnaround in his performance even if his bloated 21.4 HR/FB% had returned to a more normal level. Rather than moving Taillon to a bullpen role, the Cubs will drop him from the 40-man roster and look to find a taker for him via trade. However, Chicago would presumably have to eat a significant amount of the money remaining on Taillon's $18 million salary for 2026 to facilitate any deal. If the Cubs can't work out a trade, Taillon will be exposed to waivers and would likely be released once he clears.