MESA, Ariz. — New Cub Jameson Taillon came pretty close to moving crosstown from the Yankees to the Mets. The Phillies, Mets and Cubs showed the most interest among many who pursued him, but ultimately the Cubs won his services despite offering about the same as the Mets and a bit less than the Phillies.
“I thought I was going to be a Met for a while,” Taillon revealed at Cubs camp.
Taillon, 14-5 with a 3.91 ERA for the Yankees last year, was suitably impressed by all the teams that came after him (more on that below), but perhaps the Cubs did the most to convince him. “I’m big on communication,” Taillon said. More so than money, it seems.
Though the Phillies offered slightly more than the $68 million, four-year deal he got with Chicago (they were at about $72M for four, the very deal they ultimately gave to Taijuan Walker, who left the Mets to sign there), the Cubs sounded like his top choice, practically from the start.
“The Cubs made it clear from day one I was a top priority,” Tailon said. “If you can nerd-out and talk pitching with me, that really works for me. They showed me a good plan. It’s been exciting.”
Taillon loved playing and pitching in New York, so the Mets were at no geographic disadvantage. He lived on West 16th Street, and he embraced all the city has to offer.
“I fell in love with New York City,” Taillon said. “I took advantage of what New York offers. You go to the plays. You go to dinners. You ride the subway.”
He did ride the subway every day from the Chelsea area to 161st and Rivera. And he could envision himself doing the same to Queens.
After two Zoom calls with the Mets (and zooms with many other teams) he was impressed with both “new school” (that’s probably the Phillies’ Dave Dombrowski) and “old school” (that’s likely the Mets’ Billy Eppler, and the Cubs’ Jed Hoyer and Carter Hawkins) general managers, he said. “Baseball’s in good hands,” he concluded.
From the start, he liked the idea of the Cubs. He figured he liked New York so much that Chicago would be a nice fit, as well. He and his fiancée bought a place on Chicago’s Gold Coast, near Lake Michigan with a view, and he’s thrilled. He told his agents right away he’d love to play for the Cubs, and was thrilled when they called on the first day of free agency.
“The Cubs made a really strong first impression,” Taillon said. “I was comfortable with the Cubs. It’s a great organization and a great fit. I’m happy with the decision.”