The city of Chicago has been waiting to hear the name “Cade Horton” in the majors for some time now, and after looking at the ‘rumor mill’ surrounding the stud righty…..it looks like that moment may be rapidly approaching. It looks like the 23-year old from Oklahoma could be making his debut sooner rather than later, after the dreaded injury that was sustained by Shota Imanaga a number of days ago.

It’s a motion that has Cubs fans smiling from ear to ear, like one of those weirdo’s from the famous “Smile” movies that have been making waves across the world. The man has been on FIRE as of late, giving us DOMINANT performances like this one down in Triple-A;

After allowing just 1 run and 2 hits over 6 frames today, @Cubs No. 2 prospect Cade Horton now has a 1.24 ERA across 6 starts for the @IowaCubs this season 😯 pic.twitter.com/s6iocsVSwU

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 4, 2025

Horton has been an intriguing name in the farm system for the past number of years, who the organization is hoping will become “the guy” in the not-to-distant future. His dominance with Iowa has turned him into a city-wide phenomenon, bubbling like a boiling pot that is ready to explode. I mean, just take a look at his stat-line through his first six starts of the season;

29.0 IP, 1.24 ERA, 12 H, 4 ER, 13 BB, 33 Ks

He looks stellar, and like someone who is ready to make his major league debut? But the question is…..is this the right time to bring the kid up? Or should the team wait a bit longer?

The answer; I think you leave him down there. I think you leave Horton in Triple-A, let him get a couple more starts under his belt, and see if he can continue this string of good fortune that he is currently on.There is no “dire need” to rush the kid to the majors, just to cover three-to-four starts for Shota. As I said in my previous article; this offense is firing on all cylinders, and has been making up for the rather pedestrian 3.97 team ERA that this staff has.

They have been winning, in spite of the pitching. Which leads me to believe that if they throw a Chris Flexen, a Drew Pomeranz, a Jordan Wicks (God forbid), or even an arm that they can trade for……they’re going to be fine. They’re going to be OK, especially with the current state of the National League Central.

Sure, that doesn’t sound like the “sexy pick” that fans want to see. But it is the truth. If anything, bring Horton up a little later in the season, when you start to really get a good grasp on what you have at the big league level. Bring him up in June or July, when Shota is (hopefully) back from his injury, and you know what you truly have.

But right now? It’s not a “dire move” for them to make. In the end though…..what do I know? I’m just a guy from the Midwest, with a beer and a laptop, trying to make sense of this world.