A deal has been confirmed: The Cubs have officially reached an agreement with the Philadelphia Phillies over a potential replacement, with top prospect Cade Horton out due to a lat strain.Ahh…

Cubs top prospect Cade Horton out with lat strain: Reports

Cubs top prospect Cade Horton out with lat strain: Reports originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

Cade Horton, the Cubs’ No. 1 prospect, will be sidelined with a lat strain, or “moderate subscap strain,” according to the Chicago Sun-Times’ Maddie Lee.

He won’t be able to start throwing again for 3-4 weeks, according to the report.

Horton, 22, has pitched up at the Triple-A level for the first time this season. With the Iowa Cubs, he holds a 7.50 ERA over five starts and 18 innings pitched. He’s struck out 22 batters while walking 11. In Double-A, Horton holds a 1.10 ERA in four starts, striking out 18 batters in 16.1 innings.

Horton is not only the Cubs’ No. 1 prospect but MLB.com’s No. 17 overall prospect. The Cubs drafted him with the No. 7 pick in the 2022 MLB entry draft. In his first pro season, he won Cubs’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year for a 2.65 ERA he held through the minors, reaching Double-A in his first

Padres have recently shown ‘strong interest’ in Garrett Crochet: Report

Padres have recently shown ‘strong interest’ in Garrett Crochet: Report originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

Padres GM A.J. Preller appears interested in taking another big swing in a trade with the White Sox, again, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal.

Rosenthal reports the Padres have recently shown “strong interest” in trading for Garrett Crochet.

Remember, Preller and first-year White Sox GM Chris Getz shook hands at the beginning of the season for a trade that sent Dylan Cease to San Diego. In return, the Padres coughed up pitching prospects Drew Thorpe and Jairo Iriarte, who were the No. 5 and No. 8 prospects in the Padres’ systems.

In addition, the White Sox received 29-year-old reliever Steven Wilson and 19-year-old outfielder Samuel Zavala, the latter of whom was the No. 7 prospect in the Padres’ system.

The Padres’ interest in starting pitching stems from Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove’s recent injuries, which have landed both on the injured list. Darvish, 37, is on the shelf with a groin injury that could keep him out most of the month. Musgrove, 31, was sidelined by elbow inflammation last month and could be out until July.

With the Padres standing in second place in the highly competitive NL West division, Preller presumably wants to take advantage of the team’s current competitive window.

Crochet, 25, is off to a strong start in his first year as a true starter. He’s holding onto a 3.49 ERA (49th in MLB), 0.93 WHIP (4th in MLB) and a 5-5 pitching record. His 93 strikeouts this season equate to the second-most in the league. He’s walked just 15 batters this season, too.

Crochet’s fastball is one of the most elite in the game, keeping opposing batters to a .150 batting average this season. He uses his fastball, which averages 96.8 miles per hour, just over 50% of his pitches. He compliments that fastball 24.2% of the time with a cutter. He uses his slider and changeup in certain situations, both below 15% of his throws.

Crochet is a highly-coveted asset this trade deadline for a few reasons. His ceiling and young age point to a positive career trajectory, considering this is his first full season as a starter. His contract situation is the kicker of the trade, as his situation is extremely team-friendly.

He’s making $800,000 this season while being under club control for another two seasons. His on-field value paired with his friendly contract situation could yield the South Side a strong return in a hypothetical trade.

But that’s where Preller runs into trouble, according to Rosenthal.

After trading for Cease and Luis Arraez from the Marlins, giving up eight prospects combined from both trades, the Padres are thin of players in the farm. Of those four players, half of them are position players, which is precisely what the White Sox are looking for, too.

“For the White Sox to trade Crochet, according to a person familiar with that team’s thinking, they likely would require at least one position player prospect with significant upside. San Diego still has two in catcher Ethan Salas and shortstop Leodalis De Vries, but the Padres are reluctant to discuss either player unless they receive established star talent in return.”