If this important player turns in a full season next year, the 2026 Cubs will be dangerous

Among the many disappointing aspects of the Chicago Cubs' shorter-than-hoped playoff run, Cade Horton's absence was perhaps the most unfortunate.

Horton was tremendous all season long, recording a 2.67 ERA in 118.0 innings of work as the team's de facto No. 3 starter. On the strength of an utterly brilliant second half -- he had a 1.03 ERA and 0.78 WHIP in 61 1/3 frames after the All-Star break -- Horton is a frontrunner for the NL Rookie of the Year Award.

Unfortunately, a right rib fracture sidelined Horton right at the end of the regular season, and kept him out for the entirety of the postseason.

It was in his end-of-season press conference that Jed Hoyer delivered a painful truth: Horton was close to returning when the Cubs were eliminated. “He was in a good position. He was going to be on the [NLCS] roster if we won [Game 5 against the Brewers]. He wouldn’t have been stretched out to pitch more than a couple of innings. But that was our plan—to be able to use him," the Cubs' president of baseball operations said.

The good news is that Hoyer said Horton is healthy heading into the offseason, giving the rookie right-hander a chance to get ready for a breakout 2026 campaign.

Cade Horton's health is key for a Cubs team lacking a true No. 1 starter

Admittedly, calling 2026 a "breakout" opportunity for Horton is probably a bit of a misnomer, considering just how dominant he was in the second half of this past season.

His untimely absence was really felt in the NLDS, where the Cubs mounted an improbable comeback against the Milwaukee Brewers, only to fall one game short. Throughout the entire series, it seemed like the North Siders were one starter short of upending the Crew, and Horton would have been a perfect candidate to start that decisive Game 5 had he been healthy.

The team will certainly look to add a starting pitcher this winter after failing to do so at the trade deadline, but the truth is that unless they're willing to pony up for someone like Tarik Skubal or Hunter Greene, the Cubs' best chance of finding an ace this offseason lies with Horton's development.

One of the firmest complaints about Hoyer's tenure atop the front office has been his inability to locate the next Jon Lester or Jake Arrieta for this era of the Cubs. Justin Steele, Shota Imanaga, Matthew Boyd, and even Jameson Taillon have, at times, pitched like reliable No. 2 starters, but none are the kind of pitcher you are eager to trot out to the mound in a deciding Game 5 of the NLDS.

Horton has the upside to become that kind of pitcher; the second-half version of him was arguably already that pitcher. With an entire offseason to rest up and prepare for a career-defining workload in 2026, Horton may well become the next Cubs ace.