Chicago Cubs: Looking ahead to this year’s international market

The 2020-21 international class is loaded with talent. While fans wait on Major League Baseball’s determination of an actual draft, one prospect, in particular, is in the periphery of Theo Epstein and the Chicago Cubs.

Each year on July 2, MLB teams work diligently to acquire the newest crop of young international talent. The Chicago Cubs, in particular, have been incredibly resourceful and successful in bringing in some of the best talent over recent years. And while guys like Gleyber Torres and Eloy Jimenez have moved on, Epstein and the scouting department don’t look to be slowing down anytime soon.

What’s more is the possibility that 2020 becomes the first official year where MLB begins implementing a structured, round-by-round draft for clubs. Let’s get weird. In a piece from Baseball America‘s Ben Badler, he discusses how the top of the draft order would rotate each year by division. The MLB Players Association would need to approve it as part of the new CBA. However, it would make things interesting.

Nevertheless, the Cubs are not expected to be affected by the change unless it occurs this season. If it does not, the rumblings with Chicago’s connection to one prospect are real, and Epstein and company could reign supreme in the eyes of every team come July.