Cubs 2026 draft rumors are ignoring weakness crippling organization

The days of 2016 and Theo Epstein's Chicago Cubs are long gone, and we're more than half a decade into the Jed Hoyer regime now. The on-field differences are easy to see for Cubs fans, who have long been frustrated by Hoyer's efforts to keep one eye on the future at all times, but there is one place where the Cubs are the same as they've always been: the draft. Epstein's Cubs were famously built around a core of extremely talented position players that came up through the farm system.

From Kris Bryant and Kyle Schwarber to Ian Happ and Nico Hoerner, that era of Cubs baseball saw the team eschew top arms in the draft to pile up bats. That's largely continued under Hoyer and VP of Scouting Dan Kantrovitz, who have found success with draft picks like Matt Shaw and Cam Smith in recent years. According to the latest mock draft from The Athletic's Keith Law, the Cubs aren't likely to deviate from that plan this year when picking 23rd overall in the first round.

Specifically Law, connects Chicago to University of Louisville outfielder Zion Rose. Rose isn't the only player Law suggests might be in play for the Cubs, but the other options all look familiar. Law writes that the Cubs have been connected to both University of Virginia outfielder AJ Gracia and Auburn second baseman Chris Rembert, while also speculating that Texas Tech outfielder Logan Hughes could be another fit. All of those players are college bats, similar to Smith and Shaw in profile.

The problem, of course, is that's not what the Cubs need right now. Chicago is loaded with talent both on the big league roster and in the farm system on the positional side of things. Hoerner, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Alex Bregman, and Dansby Swanson are all on lengthy deals. Michael Busch, Moises Ballesteros, and Shaw are controlled for years. Josiah Hartshorn and Owen Ayers are among a number of hitters showing promise in the minors.

By contrast, the Cubs are facing a barren wasteland on the pitching side of things. There's some talented arms in the system, sure, but they're all injured. It's hard to know what to expect from Cade Horton, Jaxon Wiggins, and Ben Brown in either the short- or long-term until they prove they can stay healthy. The rest of the farm lacks impact, even if the likes of Kaleb Wing and Brooks Caple seem intriguing.

Despite the flaws, the Cubs have earned some trust with their draft approach

While fans might be frustrated to see that the Cubs aren't being aggressive in bolstering the pitching reserves on the farm, Kantrovitz's operation has been successful enough to earn some grace. Horton, Shaw, and Smith have all been undeniably successful draft picks, with all three ascending to top-30 prospect status league-wide before making their big league debuts. Ethan Conrad has been slowed by injuries but could easily enjoy the same trajectory with time.

One need look no further than Rose to see why the Cubs might be excited. The Louisville product is tearing up the ACC this year, with a .417/.491/.646 slash line in 36 games. Listed by MLB Pipeline as the #30 prospect in this year's draft, Rose missed time this year with hamstring and ankle injuries but is dripping with offensive upside. He's got big time power and has already stolen 24 bases this year. That power/speed profile is paired with what pipeline describes as "advanced" bat-to-ball skills.

The other players connected to Chicago have similarly intriguing traits. Gracia is actually rated even higher (#19) by Pipeline than Rose is. Rembert is the second-highest rated college second baseman in the class. Hughes is praised by Law for his top-notch batted ball metrics. Any of those picks could prove to be defensible or even exciting, and with Kantrovitz's track record in the first round it will be hard to doubt whoever he picks even if it's not a pitcher.

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