Cubs pitcher Cade Horton appears to be back on track
MESA, Ariz. — Those three home runs Cubs pitcher Cade Horton allowed against the Rangers last week were much less concerning after Horton’s next start, a 10-strikeout performance against the Guardians on Monday night in Goodyear, where he allowed three hits and one walk.
Horton commanded his changeup exceptionally well against the four lefties in Cleveland’s lineup, generating 21 swings and misses on 74 pitches, 11 of which were changeups. He stood tall afterward, as pleased as one would expect 10 days before Opening Day.
“I felt like tonight I put it all together,” Horton said.
The swings and misses were two more than Horton’s season high in 2025, when he pitched like the Cubs’ best starter after the All-Star break and finished second in National League Rookie of the Year voting to the Braves catcher Drake Baldwin.
It would not have been surprising to see Horton named the Cubs’ Opening Day starter on March 26, but he is crafting the look of a staff ace who will get that chance very soon in his career. The Cubs are going with 35-year-old veteran left-hander Matthew Boyd, who went 14-8 with a 3.21 ERA in a team-high 31 starts and made the NL All-Star team last season.
“I’m so excited for him,” Horton said. “There’s nobody more deserving than him. He goes about his business the right way. Just the ultimate teammate. He just really does put the organization above himself. I think it’s really cool to watch him and just be able to share a clubhouse with him, so I’m really excited to watch him go out there and shove.”
Horton is lined up to pitch the Cubs' second game on March 28. He went 11-4 with a 2.67 ERA over 22 starts and one relief appearance covering a closely monitored 118-inning workload. Look for him to add innings in his second season after he finished strong with a 1.03 ERA over his last 12 starts.
A right rib fracture prevented him from pitching in a postseason that saw the Cubs defeat the Padres in a three-game wild-card series and lose to the Brewers in five games in the NLDS. Horton averaged a fraction above five innings and 78 pitches per performance during the regular season.
“My job is to go out there and get outs,” Horton said. “It doesn’t matter how many outs, just go out there and get outs and when they take the ball from me they take the ball from me. Hopefully I get more innings this year and put more on my workload. That’s something I want. We’ll see where we’re at.”