Chicago Cubs: How have trade deadline acquisitions panned out so far?

Chicago Cubs have yet to see what they have in left-hander Bailey Horn

After a somewhat shaky ending to his Cubs tenure, the team sold somewhat low on Ryan Tepera, receiving lefty starter Bailey Horn in return. Horn, the White Sox fifth round pick in 2020, has yet to make his debut in the Cubs organization. He was assigned to the South Bend Cubs but has been on the seven-day IL since.

Chicago Cubs received high praise in Anthony Rizzo deal, and with good reason

While it was certainly hard to stomach the long-time captain of the Cubs being shipped off the day before the deadline, the blow was softened upon seeing the return of two players that could wind up being well above-average players. Despite certainly declining in recent years, Rizzo netted a return of outfielder Kevin Alcantara and starter Alexander Vizcaino, both of whom would’ve been a good return individually, let alone as a package.

Alcantara, who’s just 19 and has loads of power and projects as a well-rounded hitter as a whole, was rated as the Cubs’ second-best prospect, according to FanGraphs. The early returns from Alcantara have not disappointed, as in his first few games in the ACL, slashing .355/.417/.645 as well as already crushing two home runs. Alcantara has certainly lived up to the billing early on in his Chicago career, and he could wind up being a star in Wrigleyville.

Vizcaino is an interesting player, as he certainly has a great pitching repertoire (65-grade fastball and change-up according to MLB Pipeline), but he’s already 24 and only in High-A as the team continues to stretch him out after coming off an injury. Alcantara has shown off his ability to strike batters out early in his Cubs tenure, but he needs to be stretched out more before a solid opinion can be formed.

Overall, both Alcantara and Vizcaino have flashed their great potential early on, and there’s still plenty of development to be done.