Cubs collapse may save 2025 draft class slugger from becoming trade deadline casualty

A month ago, the impression was that the Chicago Cubs were positioned to make an aggressive move at the MLB trade deadline. They were the best team in baseball, had a comfortable lead in the National League Central, and it was easy to suggest that they would push their chips to the middle of the table for a starting pitcher like Tarik Skubal or Freddy Peralta.

It was a potential strategy that suggested no prospect would be off limits in trade talks. Whether it was Pedro Ramirez, Jefferson Rojas, or Josiah Hartshorn, there was an argument to be made that the Cubs shouldn't hold back at the deadline.

Now, the conversation has shifted dramatically. The Cubs making an aggressive buy at the deadline can probably be ruled out, especially when Jed Hoyer was pretty clear that it won't be used as a crutch to save this team from disappointment.

As much as Cubs fans may not want to hear it, there is a silver lining to that shift for the Cubs. It likely means that a prospect like Hartshorn is likely not going to be traded this summer. A scenario Bleacher Report's Michael Cerami alluded to earlier this week.

Keeping Josiah Hartshorn would be a trade deadline win for the Cubs

Hartshorn is one of the early stars from the Cubs' 2025 draft class, and there's a chance that he's evolving into the blue-chip prospect the farm system hasn't had for a long time. He's only 19 years old, so not knocking on the door of Wrigley Field just yet, but his first professional season is turning heads for all the right reasons.

Through Hartshorn's first 235 plate appearances in the Cubs' organization, he's slashing .305/.430/.429 with a wRC+ of 158 and 9 home runs. Considering consistent power is the one thing the Cubs have lacked at the major-league level, the idea of Hartshorn being a homegrown slugger would be a massive victory for the front office. Even if they are to blame for the lack of power the Cubs currently have at the major league level.

Regardless of how the 2026 season ends for the Cubs, it's clear that the farm system needs love. That doesn't mean Hoyer and Co. have to sell at the deadline, but it does mean keeping potential superstars like Hartshorn as they carve out the best path forward from this disappointment.

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