3 free agents the Cubs must consider after Cade Horton news reshapes the rotation

The Chicago Cubs are officially living a nightmare scenario with Cade Horton. Earlier this week, ESPN's Jesse Rogers reported that the results of the young righty's MRI after leaving his last outing early were "not good, not clean," according to multiple sources. Upon getting a second opinion, everyone's worst fears were confirmed — a season-ending UCL tear.

Now, it's just a question of what type of surgery Horton will have, though nothing will change the damage that's been done to the 2026 Cubs. After a dazzling second half last year that nearly won him Rookie of the Year honors, he was rightly viewed as one of the keys to Chicago finally taking back the division and returning to the postseason, especially with Justin Steele still on the shelf to start the year. Instead, it'll be another season of relying on depth to survive, though nothing can exactly replace what's being lost with the former top prospect.

With Matthew Boyd also going on the shelf, albeit for a much less serious ailment, the reserves are already being tested. Colin Rea has officially swung back into the rotation, alongside Javier Assad, who was recalled to fill in for Boyd's absence. Ben Brown hasn't earned much trust, but he's also around if need be, and the Cubs also have minor league options like Vince Velasquez and, eventually, Jordan Wicks and Jaxon Wiggins. Still, it wouldn't hurt to start looking at available free agent options to help fill the void. Let's look at three targets Jed Hoyer and company should consider to help the rotation through a dire situation.

3 free agents who could help Cubs stave off a disatrous season

Lucas Giolito

By far the best option still on the table at this point is former White Sox hurler Lucas Giolito. At 31 years old, he's coming off a solid enough season in Boston with a 3.41 ERA and 4.17 FIP in 145 innings. Look underneath the surface, though, and there are some serious concerns that explain why he's lingered on the market this long. A quick glance at his Baseball Savant page shows a lot of blue, as he grades out below average in just about anything you'd want in a pitcher, from strikeout rate to whiff percentage, walk rate, chase rate, and average exit velocity allowed.

Altogether, it helps explain why, despite the good results, he ended with an expected ERA just a hair north of five and an xFIP of 4.59. In fairness, Giolito was coming off internal brace surgery last year, meaning he could take a step forward another full year removed from the procedure. He wasn't exactly trending in the right direction before the injury, either, though. In 2023, between the White Sox, Guardians, and Angels, his strikeout rate was back to a more respectable 25.7 percent, but he still struggled overall with a 4.88 ERA and 5.27 FIP, albeit with slightly better expected stats.

Giolito has shown himself capable of being a good pitcher before, though. In his best seasons on the South Side between 2019 and 2021, he looked like a genuine ace with a 3.47 ERA and down-ballot Cy Young votes to his name. Those days are gone, but perhaps the Cubs can squeeze a little bit more out of the veteran with a few tweaks. After all, even with underlying concerns, the Red Sox still enjoyed a capable version of Giolito that would be just fine to have backing up the rotation, and even noticed some improvements throughout the year due to a change in arm slot.

Tyler Anderson

Another former All-Star still lingering on the market, Tyler Anderson has gotten a bit of buzz from other teams in need of injury replacements. The soft-tossing lefty is coming off a down season with the Angels with a 4.56 ERA and 5.60 FIP in 136 1/3 innings with even worse expected stats, but unlike Giolito, there's at least a more recent, trustworthy track record of success. 2024 saw him pitch to a 3.81 ERA and 4.66 FIP with a 4.37 xERA in 179 1/3 innings. That's not great, but it's perfectly serviceable for an emergency back-end rotation arm.

If there's one thing Anderson has been good at over his MLB career, it's limiting hard contact. Even in 2025, he was still in the 80th percentile of all pitchers in terms of average exit velocity and hard hit rate. His change-up has been his greatest weapon, particularly in 2024, where it graded out as one of the top 20 most valuable pitches in baseball and tied for the most valuable of its type with Cristopher Sanchez. Assuming he can get back to that form and get his groundball rate back up, he could be a good fit with the Cubs, considering the defense behind him.

There are warts, like the fact that his fastball keeps declining in velocity year over year and that his walk rate is just far too high for a pitcher without a strikeout-inducing repertoire, but there are certainly worse options out there. Anderson has a few tools that could work to the Cubs' advantage, assuming he can bounce back to at least his 2024 self.

Marcus Stroman

Is it time for the Stro Show to return to Chicago? Marcus Stroman doesn't inspire much confidence nowadays, but pickings are slim and, unlike some would-be intriguing candidates like Frankie Montas and Nestor Cortes, he's at least healthy. Everything went south for the former All-Star after he opted out of the final year of his Cubs deal to head for the New York Yankees, a stint that ended in a release after he only made nine starts in the Bronx in 2025 with a 6.23 ERA and 5.19 FIP.

His first season with the Evil Empire wasn't as bad as he posted a 4.31 ERA and 4.62 FIP in 154 2/3 innings, but the warning signs were all there. His average fastball velocity dipped from 92-93 mph with the Cubs to 90.6 in 2024 and then 89.6 in 2025, and with it, the previously elite groundball rate that helped him succeed in Chicago also declined slightly. Across the board, from his strikeout and walk rate to his barrel rate took steps in the wrong direction, culminating in that nightmare end to his Yankees tenure that was also plagued by injuries.

Perhaps, with more time removed from his struggles with knee inflammation, he'll be in good shape to try and bounce back with the Cubs. At the very least, even if he's not quite as good at it as he used to be, he's still able to keep the ball in the ground with regularity, something that, again, will play well with an infield featuring Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner.

The organization also has familiarity working with him before, and could have some idea how to get him back in form. Between 2022 and 2023, he gave the Cubs over 275 innings of solid 3.73 ERA and 3.67 FIP baseball and served as a bright spot on a team coming out of another rebuild. Maybe he could find a way to shine through yet again.