Cubs' front office can learn a harsh lesson from the Twins' latest roster move

The Chicago Cubs face many difficult questions ahead of next week’s trade deadline. While the front office may look to bolster the pitching staff with a trade, the main question they will have to answer will be what to do with top prospect Owen Caissie in a week’s time. 

Caissie has been mashing the ball at Triple-A Iowa this year, hitting 20 home runs in 78 games with an OPS of .960 en route to being named Major League Baseball’s 38th-ranked prospect. The Cubs face two options with the 23-year-old outfielder: make him a cornerstone of the future, or trade him to upgrade the current roster.

Many Cubs fans would prefer the former option that would keep their number one prospect in their hands. With that being said, if a star caliber player became available for the Cubs, trading Caissie would become a reality, causing a conundrum for the front office

Jed Hoyer can avoid learning a painful lesson by looking at the Twins

The Twins released catcher Diego Cartaya on Wednesday afternoon. Cartaya was once a top prospect for the Los Angeles Dodgers that was deemed untouchable in trade talks. He was ranked as high as 14th among MLB’s top prospects, but a steady decline in production lead to his exit from the Dodgers in January.

Cartaya appeared in 20 games for the St. Paul Saints, striking out in 40 of his 59 plate appearences.

Cartaya’s release highlights the cruel reality in baseball that not every single prospect is going to pan out. Cubs fans can certainly attest to that, with the likes of Brennen Davis, Brailyn Marquez, and Caleb Kilian coming to mind.

Giving up your top prospect can be daunting, but it’s not uncharted territory for the Cubs. The Cubs gave up then-top prospect Gleyber Torres in a package that gained them closer Aroldis Chapman, and it was just enough to put them over the edge to win the World Series in 2016.

The hesitation with trading Caissie is the impending free agency of star right fielder Kyle Tucker. Should he walk, Caissie would be first in line to take over the position long term. However, the obvious solution to that issue would be to retain Tucker in the first place, something the front office is more than capable of making happen. 

The Cubs currently find themselves linked to some of the best options at the trade deadline, including Sandy Alcantara, Emmanuel Clase and Dylan Cease. With the club recently falling out of first place in the NL Central to the rival Milwaukee Brewers, the Cubs need to be aggressive at the deadline now more than ever.

If Jed Hoyer is serious in believing his team can win the World Series, he needs to be willing to trade Caissie to make that happen.