The 2025 goal for one Cubs prospect is not what you might think it is

Two of the bigger injuries the Chicago Cubs suffered to their pitching staff last season were the neck injury to Ben Brown and the shoulder injury to top prospect Cade Horton.

Brown made his Major League debut with the Cubs during the opening weekend of the 2024 season, but a neck injury in June ended his season prematurely. Brown is healthy and likely will be a member of the Cubs' Opening Day roster but his exact role remains to be determined. While the Cubs may have been planning for Brown to open the season in the bullpen, an oblique injury to Javier Assad could have Brown in the mix to begin the year in the starting rotation.

As for Horton, he entered the 2024 season as the top prospect in the Cubs farm system and one of the better pitching prospects in all of baseball. Despite posting a 1.10 ERA in his first four starts of the 2024 season in Double-A, Horton struggled immediately after an early promotion to Triple-A. Horton was tagged for 15 runs in 18 innings pitched at the Triple-A level before being shutdown with a shoulder injury. An indicator that Horton wasn't mechanically sound last season was the fact he only had a 2-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio with the Iowa Cubs.

Horton is in camp with the Cubs as a non-roster invitee, but his goal for the 2025 season may not be pitching at Wrigley Field this summer. Sahadev Sharma mentions in The Athletic that the Cubs are not planning on Horton making his Major League debut this season, with the focus being on their top pitching prospect proving to be healthy.

Cade Horton's MLB debut isn't the focus of the 2025 season

If Horton had been healthy and pitching effectively last season, he would have been with the Major League team during the final months of the 2024 season. The Cubs' pitching staff was decimated with injuries in the closing months of last season, and Horton likely would have been the "break glass" option had he been healthy.

If nothing else, the Cubs have added depth to their pitching staff this offseason despite shying away from adding a premium starting pitcher. That depth will allow Horton not to be viewed as a "savior" if he were to make his Major League debut this season. If anything, Horton's debut may rival that of Brown's last season--pitching out of the bullpen initially before a potential move to the rotation.