The Chicago Cubs were in the market for a starting pitching upgrade prior to the 2025 trade deadline. However, instead of trading top prospects for a top-shelf pitcher, they made a smaller bet on former Washington Nationals pitcher Mike Soroka. So far, it is not looking like a great bet. Even president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer is admitting that it is not. Soroka is already on the injured list after being removed from his first start with the Cubs due to shoulder discomfort. What makes it even more concerning is that the Cubs knew Soroka had experienced a slight dip in his velocity in his starts leading up to the trade deadline. Soroka underwent an MRI just to rule out anything problematic, with all of the results coming back clean. Still, the Cubs were aware of the drop in velocity — usually a big indicator of some sort of arm problem — and decided to go forward with the trade anyway. Hoyer admitted on Tuesday that the move was a risk and that it’s not looking like a good bet right now. He also addRead More
Cubs president admits trade-deadline gamble ‘not looking like a good bet’
