GLENDALE, Ariz. — As Cubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy walked to the bullpen row earlier this weekend, a clipboard under his arm and a basket of baseballs at the hand, he burst out laughing.
“Head on a swivel,” Hottovy joked as he picked up his pace.
Hottovy has been bouncing between the practice fields, bullpen, field lab and stadium in recent days, while the reception team on the complex’s second floor has continued to add new pitchers to camp. . Chicago quickly gained depth, given the abbreviated Opening Day preparation.
The task for Hottovy and the Cubs’ pitching group is currently to come up with a rotation plan, but with several contingencies in place for the start of the regular season. The reality for Chicago (and every other team) is that pitchers won’t be fully stretched during the camp break this spring.
“I thought about it myself,” Cubs left-hander Justin Steele said. “How are we going to get through the nine-inning games when nobody’s really ready for five, six, seven innings yet? I don’t really have the answer to that.”
Here’s what the Cubs are watching right now:
• Right-handers Kyle Hendricks and Marcus Stroman look on track to be ready to go at least five innings ahead of the April 7 opener against the Brewers. As it stands, they’re positioned to be the opening day snap contenders.
• Lefty Wade Miley is currently participating in what manager David Ross has called a “veteran” program. He is expected to hold a bullpen session on Monday, but is currently a bit behind the other arms of the camp. Hottovy said the goal would be to get him over 40 pitches by the end of the spring.
• Left-handers Drew Smyly and Steele will start, along with right-handers Alec Mills and Keegan Thompson. It is possible that they will be part of “piggyback” outings in early April.
• The Cubs also have Daniel Norris, Adrian Sampson (non-roster) and Robert Gsellman (non-roster), among others, in camp as multi-inning options. Norris, in particular, hopes to compete for the rotation rounds.
“At the end of the day, that’s what I would like to do,” Norris said of the departure. “But at the same time, I think I can do anything. I’m going to compete as best I can and whatever they choose is what they choose, and I’ll be excited regardless.”
Ross noted Sunday that Steele, who worked 57 innings between rotation and the bullpen for the Cubs in 2021, has a minor league option available, if the southpaw doesn’t crack the opening-day rotation. The manager previously said Mills (out of options) was going to have a shot at a starter.
Mills — who wrote a no-hitter in 2020 and performed better on a starting routine — is hoping to make the rotation.
“I’ve done some things in the past that I think gave me a shot at starting,” Mills said. “But, it’s a case of what you’ve done for me lately. So obviously I have to keep pitching well and keep showing them that I deserve to be a starter.”
The key to all of this will be staying flexible, especially given the latest ride with Miley. If he’s only built for three or four innings by the end of spring training, the need for multi-inning relievers will be even more pressing.
Hottovy noted that Miley, 35, recently threw a 15-pitch bullpen session that went well. Ross added that the veteran southpaw will be in games “soon,” but the Cubs are taking a conservative approach to his throwing schedule as they monitor the data and get feedback from Miley.
“We just try to assess every bullpen he gets,” Hottovy said, “and make the best decision possible for him and for us. In general, we really try to give him the lead he needs.”
Under these circumstances, Hottovy remains hopeful that MLB will allow additional roster spots early in the season. In the meantime, the Cubs and every other team are planning a 26-man roster with a 13-man pitching staff.
How this staff is constructed on opening day is an unsolved puzzle.
“[There] maybe 10 three-inning guys,” Hottovy said. “All of those guys are really in a similar boat. We’re going to try to get all of these guys to stretch the same.”
