Forgotten Cubs minor league signing may explain why they skip Lucas Giolito

In the immediate aftermath of Cade Horton's injury, conventional wisdom pointed the Chicago Cubs in the direction of Lucas Giolito. On the surface, it makes sense, considering the Cubs also have Jordan Wicks, Justin Steele, and Matthew Boyd on the IL. The idea lacks the context of Giolito not being with a team during spring training and needing several minor-league starts before being viewed as a legitimate option for the rotation.

By then, Boyd should be back for the Cubs, and Steele likely will be on the final steps of his recovery. It lessens the importance of signing Giolito right now, and if we're being honest, his underlying metrics in recent years would suggest there is inherent risk involved with his potential signing.

Rather than taking a gamble on Giolito, it would seem that the Cubs are going to rely on their internal depth. Javier Assad and Colin Rea will move into the rotation, at least until Boyd and Steele are back, and the Cubs aren't giving up hope on an under-the-radar signing they made during the offseason.

Kyle Wright may not be answer for the Cubs now, but could be by the end of the season.

Right before the start of spring training, the Cubs signed former Atlanta Braves first-round pick Kyle Wright to a minor-league deal with an invite to spring training.

Wright won 21 games for the Braves in 2022, but injuries have stalled his career in the years since. He's still at the Cubs' spring training complex in Arizona, but The Athletic's Sahadev Sharma circled him as a potential "wild card" for the pitching staff. Time is still needed before he is deemed ready, but the Cubs seem to be holding out hope that they can get meaningful innings from him before the end of the year.

No, Wright can't replace Horton in the Cubs' rotation. Very few pitchers can. But it does speak to the reason why the Cubs may not be making a push for Giolito. Jed Hoyer and Co. may prefer to run through their internal options before making a move for someone currently outside of the organization.

At the very least, it's a strategy that buys the Cubs time and hopefully, a path to getting to the trade deadline, when they feel is the right time to make a move of substance.