The Chicago Cubs are reeling from the trade that brought pitcher Mike Soroka to the team, as he has now suffered a shoulder injury that may keep him out for several weeks. The team had hoped to capitalize on Soroka’s potential after seeing his velocity drop in his final starts with the Washington Nationals.
“We knew the risk when we made the trade,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said. “We talked about it extensively and felt like it was a good bet at the time.” The Cubs traded two prospects for Soroka, including Triple-A outfielder Christian Franklin and 18-year-old infielder Ronny Cruz.
Soroka’s velocity dropped by 2 mph before his final start with the Nationals, raising concerns. Despite this, the Cubs believed he was worth the risk. “For my peace of mind, we decided to check that box off and there was nothing that presented to be an issue at the time,” Soroka said.
The team has been struggling to fill out its rotation after several key players went down with injuries. The loss of left-hander Justin Steele, right-hander Jameson Taillon, and other pitchers may force the Cubs to turn to right-hander Ben Brown to fill the spot in the rotation until help arrives.
Cubs manager Craig Counsell acknowledged that there is risk involved in Soroka’s trade, but so far, it has not panned out well. “There’s risk,” Counsell said. “So far, it didn’t turn out well.”
Source: https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/45910384/cubs-admit-risk-trading-now-injured-mike-soroka