Jed Hoyer has faced continuous criticism since the trade deadline on Thursday—and for good reason. His team badly needed additional starting pitchers, yet instead of acquiring the playoff-caliber talent they urgently required, the Chicago Cubs brought in only one new starter.
That pitcher? The frequently injured Michael Soroka, whose fastball speed had been dropping off in his last few appearances. To add to the problem, the right-handed thrower missed his Cubs debut on Monday evening Initially referred to as "right shoulder discomfort," his final two fastballs of the evening registered at only 89 mph on the radar gun.
Soroka surrendered only one run during his two-inning appearance following an earlier single run scored on a Tyler Stephenson home run, with one walk and three strikeouts recorded. He was replaced by Ben Brown, who yielded just one run across four innings, fanning five batters and contributing significantly to the Cubs' opportunity to secure victory, even though their starting pitcher had a short stint.
Michael Soroka departs from his Cubs debut following a concerning medical report Michael Soroka exits his first game with the Cubs after receiving a troubling injury update Michael Soroka ends his Cubs appearance due to an alarming health condition
We aren't certain yet, and likely won't be until Soroka has scans, but this situation could rapidly turn into the worst outcome for Hoyer and the Cubs. Jameson Taillon and Javier Assad are both nearing their return. (albeit Taillon's initial rehabilitation appearance was difficult, to say the least) - however, the core issue stays unchanged: this squad had a clear requirement, and the management did not tackle it effectively.
They placed all their hopes in the Soroka basket, even with the red warning sirens going off In the pitching statistics from his last appearances with Washington. Even if the cost for top pitchers was excessive, acquiring even one pitcher would help. felt as though it was a terrible risk seemed like a bad bet had the feeling of a risky move felt like a dangerous choice sounded like a foolish wager came across as a reckless decision was akin to taking a big chance felt like a hazardous endeavor seemed like a poor gamble gave the impression of a high-stakes risk . Of course, that’s simpler to state now following Soroka’s exit from the game, but the Cubs’ approach to addressing their biggest vulnerability seemed inadequate even prior to Monday's developments.
Therefore, we remain waiting for updates regarding Soroka – however, it appears that Craig Counsell will have to assemble the lineup using Ben Brown as an option again until Taillon and/or Assad come back. As the Brewers keep performing well (they could increase their lead in the division by three games with a victory on Monday), the team faces a shortage in starting pitchers and lacks offensive production; hence, the Cubs must quickly develop a greater sense of urgency — otherwise they might lose control of the NL Central standings as August progresses.
This piece was first released on as The Cubs' frustration with the deadline is rapidly approaching total catastrophe The Chicago Cubs' late-season letdown is teetering on the edge of utter failure What was once just a disappointing trade deadline for the Cubs is now heading toward full-blown crisis The Cubbies' hopes from the deadline are dangerously close to turning into an outright disaster The team's post-deadline situation has escalated to the point of potential devastation The Cubs' missed opportunity at the deadline could soon spiral out of control Their recent performance following the deadline is inching closer to all-out collapse What started as a minor setback during the trading period is now threatening to become a major calamity The Cubs' fate after the deadline looks increasingly like a disastrous outcome This latest development marks a critical moment where their season might be doomed .