The Chicago Cubs remain undefeated in gaslighting their fanbase. Setting aside their messaging when it comes to their messaging surrounding Kyle Tucker’s departure, the latest example of Jed Hoyer and Co. trying to pull a fast one by the Wrigley Field faithful is with how the team is responding to the failure to sign Dylan Cease.
Cease inked a seven-year deal worth $210 million with the Toronto Blue Jays last week. Factoring in that the Cubs have never handed out a contract of $200 million or more, and Cease’s deal included deferrals, it was clear that Chicago wasn’t going to be his next destination.
What’s laughable is how the Cubs are responding to losing out on Cease. The Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma (Subscription Required) confirms that the Cubs were in on Cease, but once the bidding reached $200 million, they bowed out of the sweepstakes. However, through Sharma, the Cubs want you to believe that Cade Horton’s emergence last season is why they want to add a starting pitcher, but don’t have the urgency to go dramatically outside of their comfort zone.
Cubs roll a laughable defense of why they didn’t act with urgency while missing out on Dylan Cease.
It’s subtle, but that is a pretty clear shift in tone from the messaging the Cubs had at the start of the offseason. The message was clear: the Cubs realized not adding a top-of-the-rotation starting pitcher at the trade deadline is what set them back in the playoffs, and they were ready to correct that mistake.
Now, after seeing what Cease got, the Cubs want you to believe that Horton’s ascendence toward the top of the rotation is why they can be selective. Along those lines, yes, Horton very well could finish the 2026 season as the clear ace of the Cubs’ staff. However, that doesn’t change the fact that Matthew Boyd regressed during the final two months of the regular season, Justin Steele will likely miss the first month of next season, and Shota Imanaga couldn’t be used in Game 5 of the NLDS against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Those facts alone make it clear that the Cubs don’t just need any starting pitcher; they need a legitimate option at the top.
Those who carry water for Hoyer’s front office will say something along the lines of “this is mere semantics” or that it is a leverage play, but they shouldn’t miss the line in Sharma’s story where he says, “Hoyer knows his work this offseason isn’t over”.
Isn’t over? Outside of signing a relief pitcher to a multi-year deal and a failed former top prospect to a minor-league deal, Hoyer’s work hasn’t even started. The fact that confirmation has to even be provided, only a few days after the layoffs at the Marquee Sports Network, is a chilling dose of reality for a Cubs fanbase that deserves more than what they have been getting.