The Chicago Cubs entered last summer’s trade deadline desperate for rotation help, but the market was so inflated that even mid-level starters were commanding premium returns. With top arms priced out of reach and other contenders driving up the cost, Chicago settled for what it hoped would be a low-risk, high-upside addition: veteran right-hander Michael Soroka, acquired from the Washington Nationals.
But the move unraveled almost instantly. Soroka lasted only one inning and two batters into his Cubs debut before leaving with an injury, a discouraging echo of the setbacks that have plagued his career since his breakout 2019 season. He made only a handful of appearances the rest of the year—just 10 total innings in a Cubs uniform, postseason included—leaving Chicago right back where it started: short on durable, dependable starting pitching.
Soroka’s time in Chicago was brief, frustrating, and ultimately symbolic of the team’s ongoing search for pitching stability. Once viewed as one of baseball’s most promising young arms, his career has been marked by repeated injuries, including multiple Achilles tendon tears that derailed what had looked like a budding ace trajectory with the Atlanta Braves. His 2019 campaign, in which he earned an All-Star selection and finished sixth in Cy Young Award voting, now feels like a distant memory overshadowed by years of rehabbing instead of competing.
On Monday, Soroka finally closed the chapter on his forgettable stint in Chicago and officially secured a fresh start elsewhere. While the Cubs continue to scour the offseason market for reliable rotation help, Soroka now gets the opportunity to reestablish himself with a clean slate and—he hopes—a healthier runway.
Chicago, meanwhile, must once again confront a familiar problem: they need innings, they need stability, and they need more than short-term gambles. The team’s rotation depth failed to hold up in 2025, and the front office has openly acknowledged that adding at least one, and possibly multiple, starting pitchers is a top priority this winter.
But as last July proved, finding those arms is easier said than done. Prices remain steep, the free-agent class is top-heavy, and several teams with deeper pockets are competing for the same names. With the Cubs determined to avoid another half-measure like the Soroka deal, the question remains whether they’ll push aggressively for a major signing—or risk another season of scrambling for healthy arms.
