Chicago Cubs fans received terrible news yesterday; Star starting pitcher Cade Horton, who left his Friday start in the second inning with forearm discomfort and was placed on the IL, will have season-ending elbow surgery, manager Craig Counsell said Tuesday.
For a Cubs team with World Series aspirations, losing Horton, who posted a 2.67 ERA over 118 innings with Chicago last year, for the whole season is a major blow.
Cubs starters Justin Steele and Matthew Boyd are both on the IL, but Boyd should be back soon, and Steele is expected to return in late May. Still, Chicago was planning to lean on Horton this season. Given the Cubs' high expectations after being one win away from an NLCS berth in 2025, it's hard to imagine president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer won't be looking to acquire another starter at the Trade Deadline.
Twins just gained more Joe Ryan trade leverage after Cubs' Cade Horton's injury
Assuming the Minnesota Twins perform as expected for the next few months, All-Star starting pitcher Joe Ryan will likely be on the trade block in July. Because of the Horton news, the Cubs will likely be one of the teams interested in Ryan, who is under team control through the 2027 season.
The more teams interested in Ryan, the better the potential return will be for Minnesota. While the Twins' brass would never wish for someone to be hurt, Horton's injury could improve the Twins' potential return in a Ryan trade.
Ryan has made three starts this season. He displayed the best version of himself during his first of the year, allowing no runs, one hit and two walks with seven strikeouts across 5 1/3 innings against the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards on March 26. His second start didn't go as planned, as he allowed five runs on nine hits and a hit batter with three strikeouts over four innings against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on April 1. However, it's important to note that the weather conditions during his second game were, let's just say, less than ideal.
Ryan, who had a 3.42 ERA with 194 strikeouts over 171 innings last season, had an overall solid third start of the season against the Detroit Tigers at Target Field on Monday, allowing three runs (two earned) on three hits and three walks with seven strikeouts in five innings.
Ryan is clearly in peak form thus far in 2026. If he continues to pitch well and the Twins perform as expected, the righty will most likely be dealt to a playoff contender in July for a haul- and the Cubs could be that team.