2025 Player Outlook

Despite a drastically reduced strikeout rate, one could argue that 2024 was Taillon’s second-best season as a professional. He went 12-8 with a 3.27 ERA and 1.13 WHIP across 28 starts. His 18.5 percent strikeout rate is an eyesore from a fantasy perspective, and his 7th percentile whiff rate didn’t do him any favors. He commanded the strike zone, and his 3.79 K/BB ratio was his second-best mark in the last half-decade. If he can trust his sweeper more, I believe his strikeout rate could rebound a little bit, but ultimately, he’s a pitch-to-contact guy who is going to command the strike zone and win with finesse, as he’s no longer the mid-nineties fastball guy he was earlier in his career. Taillon will be a stalwart in the rotation for Chicago, but outside of innings and a quality WHIP, he’s a bit underwhelming from a fantasy perspective, especially with a strikeout rate that figures to top out around 20 percent and ERA that should end closer to 4.27 than last year’s 3.27. Outside of the top 375-400 picks overall, you could do far worse than a guy who should win around 10 games with 150+ IP and an ERA in the low-to-mid 4s.