Cubs Keep Pitching Coach Duo for 2025 Season

The Chicago Cubs have decided to keep their pitching staff leadership intact, retaining both Tommy Hottovy as pitching coach and Casey Jacobson as assistant pitching coach. The decision comes after both coaches managed a rotation and bullpen ravaged by injuries throughout the season, while also integrating multiple deadline acquisitions into an already complicated pitching puzzle.

Hottovy and Jacobson faced constant adjustments, rotating through different starters and relievers as health became a recurring concern. That kind of instability would normally create scrutiny around coaching decisions, but the Cubs organization apparently viewed the coaches' adaptability and management of the moving pieces as sufficient reason to retain them.

Leadership continuity: By bringing back both coaches, the Cubs are betting that familiarity and experience with the roster will pay dividends next season. A new coaching staff would require time to build relationships with the pitchers, understand the bullpen's dynamics, and learn the organizational philosophy. Hottovy and Jacobson already have that foundation in place.

The retention also suggests the Cubs believe their pitching struggles were primarily injury-related rather than coaching-related—a message that carries weight when evaluating team health going forward. If the organization returns healthier, the coaching staff doesn't change, meaning any improvement should be attributable to better availability rather than new voices.

From a betting perspective, this stability could slightly improve Chicago's pitching projections for next season. The added continuity between coaching staff and players typically helps with predictability in pitcher performance and bullpen management, though actual win totals will depend heavily on whether those injuries don't resurface.

Source: original report ↗