Approach with injured top prospect offers a glimpse into the Cubs' offseason plans

Cade Horton, the top-ranked pitching prospect in the Chicago Cubs organization, has not thrown a pitch in game action since Memorial Day. But that hasn't cooled the team's optimism about the right-hander, who was selected with the seventh overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft out of Oklahoma.

According to MLB.com, the Cubs are playing it safe with Horton because they expect him to pitch meaningful innings for the big league club next year. General manager Carter Hawkins spoke with reporters this week in Cleveland and said Horton will get a look next spring and could compete for a rotation spot in 2025.

We’ll try to build him up as best we can in Spring Training and you give him some chances there. Almost every pitcher that’s been up in the big leagues has had setbacks like this. There’s plenty of opportunity for him to catch up.

Horton built on a strong first season in professional baseball by opening 2024 in dominant fashion, working to a 1.10 ERA in four starts with Double-A Tennessee. After he made the jump to Iowa, though, he began to struggle and after just 18 innings, was placed on the IL. Although he worked through his rehab, the injury lingered and, at this point in the season, rushing him back made no sense.

Cubs have a crowded rotation picture heading into the 2025 season

Looking ahead to 2025, the Cubs have a solid group of arms returning to round out a rotation that's headlined by Justin Steele and Shota Imanaga. Steele finished fifth in NL Cy Young voting in 2024 and Imanaga is a lock to be a Rookie of the Year finalist this season, and will also get some down-ballot Cy Young love. That's a nice 1-2 punch to have locked in atop the rotation.

Barring an offseason trade, veteran Jameson Taillon will return for his third season on the North Side, offering stability and consistency in the middle of the rotation. The final two spots are up for grabs, with Javier Assad, Jordan Wicks, Ben Brown and Hayden Wesneski all logical fits there. But if Horton can come out strong in the spring, he could force his way into the conversation, which would only deepen the Cubs' staff to open the year.

Given the sheer volume of young arms, it seems a safe bet the Cubs will allocate their financial resources in free agency toward other needs on the roster, including finding a primary catcher, shoring up the late innings and adding a power bat. There are plenty of attractive starting pitchers poised to hit free agency, but if Chicago has confidence in its wave of young pitching talent, it's unlikely they tie up tens of millions of dollars a year in a high-profile starter.