With the Chicago Cubs preparing for Opening Day with the team in the midst of spring training, there is no denying the expectations that the ball club has heading into the 2026 season. While the Cubs made headlines signing star Alex Bregman, the one area that this analyst believes will help the team shine is its starting pitching rotation.
Former baseball player and now analyst Jim Duquette would speak on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM about not just Chicago's rotation, but also about Cade Horton, who shone in his rookie season. Horton would record a 2.67 ERA with 97 strikeouts and an 11-4 record in 23 games, though besides talking about his star potential, Duquette mentions the trade for Miami Marlins' Edward Cabrera, Shota Imanaga's “bounce back season” incoming, and others.
Duquette would even say that the rotation will be “better than people think.”
“If Horton gives you what he showed for the most part last year, he had a couple starts that got away from him a little bit,” Duquette said. “But I think there's another level for him, in addition to Cabrera, which I really like that, like their rotation is going to be better than people think. I really like it overall. And I think Imanaga is going to have a bounce-back season too. So it pushes [Matthew] Boyd and [Jameson] Tailon more towards the back of it.”
"The #Cubs rotation is going to be better than people think."
Cade Horton posted a 2.67 ERA in his stellar rookie year 🔥
🔗 https://t.co/fGPbvbj8w4 pic.twitter.com/uBat7aFRFl
— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) February 27, 2026
What the Cubs are emphasizing to Cade Horton
It has been an impressive start to spring training for the Cubs star in Horton, with even manager Craig Counsell mentioning how much he's been “cruising,” as he said on Feb. 16. Counsell has been emphasizing to Horton to have a “slow, steady build-up for the season.”
“He dominated the league last year,” Counsell said to begin camp, according to The Athletic. “There (weren’t) many challenges when he was pitching. He did. He was outstanding. Now it’s: Do it again. Do it over a full season.”
At any rate, Horton, the rotation, and Chicago look to make some major noise once the 2026 season rolls around as they finished with a 92-70 record in 2025.
