The Chicago Cubs have agreed to send nearly $5 million to the Toronto Blue Jays as part of the deal that moved right-hander Jameson Taillon north of the border, per Ronald Blum of The Associated Press.
The cash payment of $4,956,791 covers the bulk of what remained on Taillon’s $18 million salary for the final year of the four-year, $68 million contract he signed with Chicago before the 2023 season.
Toronto will effectively be on the hook for only about $434,000, a modest sum for a veteran starter who became available after the Cubs designated him for assignment.
Taillon’s time with the Cubs ended far more poorly than it began. Over his first three seasons in Chicago, he delivered the steady mid-rotation production the club expected, posting a 3.93 ERA across more than 449 innings.
This year, the results collapsed. In 15 starts and 76 innings, he compiled a 2-6 record and a career-worst 5.92 ERA. The most glaring problem was the long ball: he allowed 25 home runs, among the highest totals in the majors, at a rate of nearly three per nine innings.
His home-run-to-fly-ball percentage soared well above career norms, and hitters feasted on a fastball that had lost its edge.
A hamstring strain sidelined him for roughly six weeks, but the struggles continued upon his return.
In one late-July outing against Pittsburgh he surrendered seven runs and three homers in just four innings, prompting the Cubs to move on rather than keep sending him out every fifth day in the middle of a playoff push.
Manager Craig Counsell and the front office concluded that the veteran’s form was unlikely to rebound quickly enough to help a contending club.
By attaching nearly $5 million in salary relief and accepting only a player to be named later, Chicago cleared a roster spot and most of the remaining financial obligation while giving Taillon a fresh start.
The Blue Jays, who already know the Canadian-born pitcher from his World Baseball Classic appearances, gain a low-cost veteran who can fill innings as they navigate the final stretch of the season.
For the Cubs the transaction closes a disappointing chapter on a once-reliable arm whose 2026 performance simply never matched the standard he had set in previous years.
