Latest Cubs roster move proves trade for starting pitching might not be necessary

The Chicago Cubs are going to be in the thick of the battle for the middling NL Central all season long. Without a dominant team in the division, everyone will be in the race all year long and the Cubs currently sit half a game out of first, behind the Brewers.

This is all despite the team dealing with quite a few injuries. Justin Steele, their ace who finished top five in the Cy Young last year, injured his hamstring during his first start of the season. Jameson Taillon began the year on the injured list, and now they have lost both Jordan Wicks and Kyle Hendricks to the IL.

Hendricks and Wicks have both struggled early in the season, particularly Hendricks, who has a 12.00 ERA through five starts. Luckily for Chicago, Shota Imanaga has come over from Japan and been a revelation, with a sub 1.00 ERA through his first five MLB starts. Javier Assad earned a rotation spot after spending most of last season in the bullpen and has posted a 2.00 ERA in 27 innings so far.

Despite those two pitching very well so far, there has been a lot of talk about the Cubs acquiring more arms via trade. For now, the Cubs decided to go to their farm system for help.

Chicago called up their top pitching prospect

Instead of making a trade, the Cubs decided to call up Cade Horton. A former first-round pick, Horton is currently their top pitching prospect and number two prospect overall, according to MLB Pipeline.

Horton is a very interesting story, as he went to Oklahoma to play both football and baseball, didn't get time at quarterback for the Sooners and then had Tommy John surgery. He only played one season of baseball where his numbers were pretty mediocre during the regular season, posting a 4.86 ERA in the Big 12.

He came back with a vengeance in the 2022 College World Series, though, striking out 24 in 13.1 innings and allowing just four runs. Despite the mediocre regular season, the dominant College World Series run combined with his stuff was enough for the Cubs to make him the seventh overall pick.

In his pro-ball debut in 2023, he pitched across three levels, topping out at Double-A. In 21 starts, he posted a 2.65 ERA with an 11.9 K/9 in 88.1 innings. The right-hander started 2024 in Triple-A, where he struck out 18 and only allowed two runs in 16.1 innings.

Horton is a very intriguing prospect because his stuff is electric. He has two plus pitches, his fastball and his slider. The fastball tops out in the upper 90s and according the Pipeline is rated as a 60 pitch. His slider is plus-plus, earning a 70 grade from Pipeline, and has become his go-to out-pitch. He also has a curveball which is his third offering and is working on a changeup to boost his arsenal.

Like with most pitching prospects, it's fairly likely he won't come up and dominate right away. However, he's adding depth to the Cubs rotation and has proven himself enough in the minors that the next best step for him is to grow against major league hitters. At the very least, he will be a fun watch as someone who misses bats. If he contributes quality starts for the Cubs and helps in a playoff push, that's just the cherry on top.