LAS VEGAS — Rookie pitcher Cade Horton’s eyes welled as he spoke in front of his locker after the Cubs’ Game 5 loss in the National League Division Series. He held his composure.
“It sucks,” he said, his hopes of returning from injury in the NL Championship Series destroyed with the Cubs’ playoff exit. “I really, really wanted to help this team in the postseason, and not being able to do that was really tough for me. I thought we would get it done today, and I could pick up where I left off.
“And so just not being able to do that leaves a sour taste in my mouth going into the offseason. But, you just use that going into the offseason for next year.”
With that, Horton’s impressive rookie campaign officially ended without a playoff appearance. He owned a 2.67 ERA across 23 appearances in his debut season. If the Cubs are going to surpass their 2025 finish, they’ll need Horton to help carry the rotation, like he did in the second half this past season, en route to a second-place finish in Rookie of the Year voting.
On Monday, as the first day of the general managers meetings in Las Vegas wound down, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America began its awards rollout with Rookie of the Year. Horton received nine first-place votes, out of 30, to come in behind Braves catcher Drake Baldwin.
The second-place finish automatically awarded Horton a full year of service time and $500,000 of pre-arbitration bonus-pool money, a measure added in the 2022-26 collective-bargaining agreement.
Horton’s torrid second half gave him a strong case to win the award. He posted the best ERA (1.03) among pitchers with 60-plus innings thrown after the All-Star break and could be considered the Cubs’ second-half MVP. But his limited playing time gave Baldwin the edge.
For most of the last two months of the season, the Cubs placed a limit of about 75 pitches on Horton for each start. That, paired with a May call-up and a fractured rib that shortened his last start to three innings and sidelined him for the postseason, meant Horton’s innings total only reached 118.
Horton was on board with the plan, saying after he threw five hitless innings against the Braves on Sept. 3: “I’d much rather be healthy for the postseason than go out there for the sixth or seventh in early September.”
He didn’t get to do either, thanks to a persistent cough in late September, which the Cubs said they believed caused the fracture.
Still, Horton’s efficiency down the stretch helped steady the rotation as Jameson Taillon worked through a pair of minor lower-body injuries, Shota Imanaga battled consistency issues, and Matthew Boyd cooled off a little after an All-Star first half.
Horton was a major factor as the Cubs claimed the top NL wild-card spot and home-field advantage for the first round.
“Next year, it’s going to be a completely different story,” Horton said of the team’s NLDS exit. “All of us kind of just got our feet wet. And so, next year, it’s time.”
As the Cubs survey their rotation for next year, they’ll take into account left-hander Justin Steele’s impending return from elbow surgery, likely early in the season.
Imanaga’s future with the team however, is uncertain, after his club and player options were declined this offseason. The Cubs extended him the qualifying offer and could work to restructure a deal to re-sign him even if he rejects it.
After the Cubs didn’t land a frontline starter at the trade deadline, the playoffs exposed their waning depth, with Horton hurt and Imanaga shaky against the Brewers.
The Cubs have options if they’re willing to dedicate the necessary funds to improve their rotation.
This year’s free agent starting pitching class is headlined by Dylan Cease, Framber Valdez and Ranger Suarez. The Cubs have also invested in scouting and building relationships in Japan. Nippon Professional Baseball’s Seibu Lions announced Monday that right-hander Tatsuya Imai will be posted for MLB teams this offseason.
Regardless of offseason additions, however, Horton building on his rookie campaign will be an important component for the Cubs to raise their ceiling.
