Jack's Take: Chicago Cubs' Underwhelming Trade Deadline Just Got Worse

While Soroka's early exit came as a surprise initially, his last few starts revealed a concerning trend. A four-seam fastball that averaged 94.4 mph and topped out at 97.3 mph in his June 17 start against the Rockies steadily decreased over the following weeks. On Monday, it averaged 90.8 mph and maxed out at 91.7 mph.

Here's a look at Soroka's maximum, average and minimum four-seam fastball velocity across his last nine starts –– one with the Cubs and eight with the Nationals –– according to Baseball Savant.

A decrease in fastball velocity sometimes suggests an injury, and clearly Soroka knew something wasn't right. He received an MRI before making what turned out to be his final start with the Nationals on July 29, according to Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic.

“That’s kind of what we did for my peace of mind before my outing against the Astros,” Soroka said, per The Athletic. “We looked at some avenues mechanically, some other things as to where the velocity went. We decided to check that other box off and there was nothing that presented to be an issue at the time there."

“I didn’t have any discomfort, I didn’t have any pain. There was no reason to believe there was anything wrong. We cleared that. Unfortunately, that changed a little bit in the second inning today.”

Despite Soroka's confidence that nothing was wrong, it's still surprising that he represented the Cubs' one and only move for a starting pitcher at the trade deadline. Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer has been careful about medical history in the past, nixing a trade in the offseason with the Marlins for pitcher Jesus Luzardo.

Hoyer must have been aware of Soroka's MRI and decreased velocity –– all players have to be cleared medically for trades to go through –– which makes it all the more befuddling that he still made the move. Soroka was also on the injured list in April with a right biceps strain. Taking a risk like that is not typically how he operates.

Even if Hoyer was willing to take a chance on Soroka, why didn't he give himself some insurance and trade for another starting pitcher? It's somewhat understandable to decide against mortgaging the future by selling off top prospects like Owen Caissie, Moises Ballesteros or Matt Shaw. After all, that's what the rest of the league decided, too, as top starting pitchers like MacKenzie Gore, Joe Ryan, Mitch Keller, Zac Gallen, Sandy Alcantara, Edward Cabrera all stayed put past the deadline.

But to not make a move for a second lower-level starter –– even if Soroka had stayed healthy –– left little margin for error. White Sox general manager Chris Getz said Thursday that he and the Cubs discussed a trade involving Adrian Houser, who had a 2.10 ERA in 11 starts with the White Sox, but the Tampa Bay Rays' made a better offer.

All Houser cost the Rays was infielder Curtis Mead, who's been great in the minor leagues but struggled in the majors, and pitching prospects Duncan Davitt and Ben Peoples, both of whom were ranked outside the Rays' top-30 prospects.

That's a move the Cubs could have pushed harder to make without giving away top prospects, and the starting rotation would be in a much better spot. Instead, Soroka joins Taillon, Steele and Assad on the injured list, leaving the Cubs with a rotation of Shota Imanaga, Matthew Boyd, Cade Horton, Colin Rea and uncertainty in the fifth spot.

Hoyer improved the Cubs bullpen by trading Andrew Kittredge and Taylor Rogers, and utility man Willi Castro fits the roster well. But only adding Soroka to the rotation appeared inadequate at the time, and it looks even worse as the Cubs chase the Brewers without him.