CHICAGO — Less than 24 hours after the only starting pitcher he acquired at the trade deadline exited with an injury, Cubs team president Jed Hoyer stood by the acquisition of Michael Soroka.
“We make bets on human beings,” Hoyer told reporters Tuesday afternoon at Wrigley Field. “Sometimes they work out. I haven’t gotten the full report yet, but obviously disappointed. We did a lot of due diligence, a ton of research. If it doesn’t work, that’s on me. That’s the job.”
After tossing two innings of one-run ball on Monday, Soroka didn’t come out for the third. The right-hander complained of shoulder pain that he felt after rearing back for “a little extra” on a pitch in the previous inning. On Tuesday, the Cubs placed Soroka on the injured list and called up reliever Nate Pearson.
“Low- to mid-grade shoulder strain,” manager Craig Counsell said. “Basically, (we) anticipate shutting him down for seven to 10 days and then kind of reevaluating where we’re at. So all in all, not terrible news. I think we’ll have a pretty good idea of what’s going on in a week and kind of go from there.”
The news on Soroka wasn’t terrible, but things got worse for the team on the field as they dropped their second straight game to the Cincinnati Reds.
In a 5-1 loss, Shota Imanaga was brilliant for 6 1/3 innings, but Andrew Kittredge couldn’t keep the game knotted as he retired just one batter in the seventh while giving up four runs, his first bad appearance as a Cub since being acquired at the deadline.
Nico Hoerner’s acrobatic effort went for naught on this play as part of a frustrating day for the Cubs. (Justin Casterline / Getty Images)
The main culprit remains the offense. The group continues to confound of late. A day after Counsell lamented that three hits wouldn’t win many games, the Cubs showed that four hits wouldn’t do any better.
The first inning summed things up nicely. After Michael Busch and Ian Happ reached to put two men on with no outs, Kyle Tucker, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Willi Castro struck out in succession against starter Zack Littell, who entered the game with a meager 16.6 percent strikeout rate.
For an offense that’s carried the team for much of the season, the Cubs’ hitters are suddenly searching for answers as the best players have all struggled to produce.
“The name of the game is to square the ball up, get on base and create rallies,” Counsell said. “You gotta do it in all sorts of situations and all times of the year. We’re just in a little run right now and we’re not doing it. This is a very good offensive baseball team. It will happen. You never enjoy going through stretches like this. When you’re slumping, you kind of feel like you’re pressing because you’re not getting any good results. We’ve just got some guys not in great places swinging the bat right now. We’ll get ’em there.”
The scuffling offense only puts more of a spotlight on Hoyer, who frustrated many by not getting a big-name starter at the deadline. His assertion that an impact starter wasn’t moved is fair, and he was right in the assessment that prices to acquire pitchers were sky high. But the optics of the Soroka news only heighten the angst.
Soroka’s injury can’t come as much of a surprise. The veteran righty has battled injuries throughout his career, including multiple shoulder issues even as recently as last summer. There was also a concerning trend with his velocity.
“We knew the velocity was sort of trending down,” Hoyer said. “We obviously talked through that extensively. Felt like given the market, given the asking price and given all those things, we felt like it was a good bet to make. Ultimately, he came out of the game last night and right now it’s not looking like a good bet.”
The bet was likely on the fact that Soroka came to the Cubs with a 25.4 percent strikeout rate and a 7 percent walk rate. That strikeout rate would easily lead Chicago’s rotation. He was also moving from the Washington Nationals, who had one of the worst defenses in baseball, to a team with top defenders at every position. He may not have been an innings-eater, but the front office saw upside with him.
Knowing his velocity had dipped, the Cubs were paying close attention to Soroka’s health records. They knew he underwent an MRI before his final start. They scrutinized his medicals and debated the best course of action on a pitcher they liked.
“We spent a lot of time on that,” Hoyer said. “Earlier, he was sitting at a much higher velocity. It was kind of coming down and we trying to get to the bottom of exactly what that was. He’d had the MRI before that. That risk profile was known and we decided that given the asking price and that we felt like he was notch above some of the other guys we were talking about in terms of talent and development opportunities, we thought it was the right risk.”
Taking risks can pay off, obviously. That’s how the Cubs ended up with Matthew Boyd. Of course, when they added him, he was trending in the right direction over the final months of 2024, making it a smart bet. Soroka’s trends were concerning. And for now, that risk isn’t looking like it will pay off.
Counsell said Ben Brown, who relieved Soroka on Monday and allowed just one run in four innings, was an option to make starts. Javier Assad could also return after his next rehab outing on Wednesday. Jameson Taillon will make his second rehab start on Friday with Triple-A Iowa. The Cubs also have an off day on Thursday and Monday, allowing them some flexibility with how they attack the fifth-starter spot.
None of it will matter if the team doesn’t start to score on a consistent basis again.
The Cubs still have a 65-48 record, tied with the Philadelphia Phillies for third-best in the National League. The problem remains that they’re in a division with a Milwaukee Brewers team that has repeatedly defied the odds as they continue a months-long torrid stretch. They’ve now extended their lead to four games in the division as they put pressure on a Cubs team that appears to be wilting.
The assumption is that the bats will eventually wake up. What’s unknown is when it will happen and whether it will be too late.
(Top photo of Michael Soroka: David Banks / Imagn Images)
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