Chicago Cubs former prospects thriving at the MLB level

As frustration continues with the current Chicago Cubs roster, fans cannot help but notice the number of former Cubs farmhands thriving in the majors. What should we make of it?

There have been a lot of mixed feels when it comes the moves Theo Epstein has made since the 2016 Chicago Cubs season that ended in a World Series championship. As with any front office, there will be moves that worked and ones that did not. Sometimes it is easy to forget the context of the move at the time and judgment on the initial decision made purely on the results. This can apply to a number of his recent trades.

The fact of the matter is that a good number of guys Epstein has traded away have blossomed or at least shown signs of blossoming this season. Most of these players were traded away when they were still highly-touted prospects with little to no MLB experience. People knew these guys had a promising future, but seeing them thrive now can naturally make a Cubs fan revisit them. But how should fans take this? Should they be mad? Should they be indifferent? It depends on the context of the trade.

One important thing to remember is that a contending team with a good/great farm system is not going to hang on to every prospect. Some will be traded for proven veterans to increase their World Series odds. That happened in 2016, and a championship is priceless. However, some of these blooming studs would also look very good on this team right now. Here is a look at how one might organize how to look at these former Cubs prospects.