If there’s one takeaway from the Cubs’ 2025 season, it’s that half-measures on the mound won’t cut it. And it looks like Jed Hoyer and the front office might finally be feeling that urgency.
After a year where the team came up short-partly due to a thin rotation and a midseason gamble that didn’t pay off-there’s a growing sense that the Cubs are aiming higher this winter. And frankly, they need to.
Let’s rewind to the trade deadline. The Cubs needed rotation help-badly.
But instead of swinging big, they took a low-risk, low-reward flier on Michael Soroka. It was a move that raised eyebrows the moment it was announced, and unfortunately for Chicago, the skeptics were right.
Soroka made just one start before shoulder issues sidelined him for six weeks. He returned in a bullpen role, but it was clear the Cubs never got the boost they were hoping for.
The final image of Soroka in a Cubs uniform? Getting shelled by the Brewers in Game 1 of the NLDS.
He gave up three runs in a single inning of relief, putting the Cubs in an early hole they never climbed out of in what turned into a 9-3 loss. That appearance capped off a forgettable stint in Chicago: six regular season games, two playoff appearances, just one start, and a total of 11 innings pitched.
Injuries are always part of the equation with pitchers, but in Soroka’s case, the warning signs were flashing. His velocity had dipped significantly in July, a red flag that should’ve prompted more caution-or at least a backup plan. Instead, the Cubs rolled the dice and came up empty.
To be fair, the market for starting pitching was brutal at the deadline. Prices were sky-high, and the Cubs had already backed out of a potential deal for Jesus Luzardo earlier in the year.
They settled instead for Colin Rea in free agency, a solid but unspectacular addition. When the rotation depth was tested midseason, the lack of a true frontline reinforcement became painfully obvious.
There was even some early chatter this offseason about the Cubs potentially bringing Soroka back. Clearly, the organization saw something in him despite a rough 2024 campaign with the Nationals. But that door officially closed when Soroka signed a one-year deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Now, the focus shifts to what comes next. The Cubs can’t afford to patch holes with duct tape again.
According to reports from the Winter Meetings, the front office is targeting higher-end arms this time around. That’s exactly the kind of mindset this team needs if it wants to take the next step.
For Hoyer and company, the margin for error is shrinking. The NL Central is winnable, but only if the Cubs build a rotation that can go toe-to-toe in October. Settling won’t cut it-not again.