Jed Hoyer addresses the elephant in the room talking about rash of Cubs injuries

One year after losing Justin Steele for the year before the season really got off the ground, it was a nightmare deja-vu scenario this year, with Rookie of the Year finalist Cade Horton's season ending after just 7+ innings of work with - you guessed it - a UCL injury, the same ailment that shelved Steele.

Arm injuries seem to be piling up at an alarming rate for the Chicago Cubs and president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer admitted it may be time to turn the spotlight within to see if the organization can get to the bottom of it.

Look, there's no reason for me - an external party - to speculate here. Hoyer and his team have the keys to the castle and it's in their best interest to see if they can identify the cause of these arm injuries. But regardless of the cause, the fact they're happening with such regularity, paired with the Cubs having not yet proven they can consistently develop long-term pitching solutions, is a major long-term concern.

Cubs have to start developing arms - and keeping them healthy

With the rest of the National League Central seemingly on the rise (MLB Pipeline's top-100 list features eighteen prospects from the Reds, Brewers, Cardinals and Pirates), at some point, Chicago is going to have to be able to develop long-term pitching assets and keep them healthy.

We can't keep saying: just wait till Justin Steele is back in this rotation... just wait till Cade Horton is fully healthy. Because by the time these things happen, there's another injured arm to take their place and it's got the Cubs constantly chasing, instead of building that internal pitching pipeline.

I think the reminder every fan needs is this: there's nobody more motivated to fix this than Hoyer. His job literally depends on the club's ability to develop talent. There's nobody more frustrated by the Cubs' string of pitching injuries to start the year, either. For now, it's good to hear they're going to look in the mirror - because this is a problem that needs addressed in the worst possible way.

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