Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer openly told the media his plans to bolster the team's rotation ahead of the MLB trade deadline. He talked a big game, expressing a desire to bring in not one but two starters, only to come up well short of expectations. Once-promising veteran Michael Soroka, was ultimately the only addition, leaving fans rightfully disappointed by the lack of marquee moves.
The Soroka experiment in Chicago might be over after two innings. He landed on the 15-day injured list after being removed from his Cubs debut due to a right shoulder strain, and it might be season-ending. In other words, it's effectively back to the drawing board for Hoyer and Co. Fortunately for them, they appear to have an in-house fix in ascendant rookie Cade Horton.
Cade Horton pushes his scoreless innings streak to 23.1 IP!
— MLB (@MLB) August 6, 2025
The longest scoreless streak by a @Cubs rookie EVER 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Y0sVhexdkW
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Surging rookie Cade Horton gives Jed Hoyer, Cubs saving grace after quiet trade deadline
Horton extended his scoreless innings streak to 23.1 in Chicago's 6-1 series finale victory over theCincinnati Reds, which marks a Cubs rookie record. He last allowed a run on July 9 versus the National League Central rival Milwaukee Brewers. The right-hander has tossed four consecutive shutouts, three of which have resulted in victories.
Perhaps Hoyer's relative inactivity at the July 31 cutoff point compared to other contenders around the league was by design. Horton's rise and southpaw ace Shota Imanaga's return from a lengthy IL stint in late June could be seen as Chicago's reinforcements. And frankly, given their production, it's hard to fault this line of thinking.
Nonetheless, if Horton is ready to hit his ceiling, Chicago's postseason rotation suddenly becomes clearer. He rounds out a solid four-man group featuring him, Imanaga, All-Star Matthew Boyd and one of Colin Rea or a (hopefully) healthy Jameson Taillon. The Cubs now seemingly have the flexibilty to deploy a fifth arm should they please, giving manager Craig Counsell an ace in the hold.
Chicago is getting a much-needed injection of star power from its top pitching prospect, and the timing couldn't be much better. He's finding his stride in the second half of 2025 following a rocky start to his career in the Majors. Not only does this help the Cubs' World Series hopes, but it also improves their chances of re-signing standout outfielder Kyle Tucker this offseason.
Cade Horton is helping the Cubs now while also aiding their Kyle Tucker recruitment
Fielding as competitive of a roster as possible around Tucker and making a deep playoff run are strong selling points. He's slated for unrestricted free agency this winter and may command north of $400 million in the open market. The Cubs have a notoriously frugal owner in Tom Ricketts, so they brownie points.
Hoyer was reluctant to part ways with the Cubs' No. 1 prospect, Owen Caissie, out of fear of losing Tucker a couple of months later. Gutting Chicago's farm system seemed unwise with such a drastic, franchise-altering decision hanging over them. However, Horton factoring into the latter staying can open the floodgates to gutting their farm system.