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Chicago Cubs' pitching prospect Jaxon Wiggins was a popular name brought up in trade rumors leading into the MLB trade deadline. While there was an overall sense that the Cubs didn't want to trade Wiggins, the team shut him down for several weeks before the deadline.
The impression was that the Cubs were being cautious, considering he could have been the key piece to trade for a top-of-the-rotation starting pitcher. The trade never came to be, but the Cubs have remained cautious with Wiggins' innings this season. Wiggins last pitched for Double-A Knoxville on July 19, but his prospect profile continues to soar.
Wiggins was recently named to MLB Pipeline's top 100 list, and ESPN's Kiley McDaniel is even higher on the Cubs' best pitching prospect. In his August update of the top 10 prospects in each system, McDaniel has Wiggins as the Cubs' No. 4 prospect. The only prospects ahead of Wiggins, per McDaniel, are Moises Ballesteros, Owen Caissie, and Jefferson Rojas.
ESPN’s latest list validates Cubs’ choice to keep Jaxon Wiggins
It also needs to be remembered that the 2025 season is Wiggins' first full season in professional baseball. It stands to reason that the Cubs will be extra careful with their top pitching prospect, considering this is his first full year fully recovered from Tommy John surgery. It would seem that Wiggins is on a path toward being with the Iowa Cubs at the start of the 2026 season. Such a scenario could see him in a position to make his Major League debut by the end of the season.
McDaniel also validates the Cubs' 2025 draft class with his latest rankings. Outfielders Ethan Conrad and Josiah Hartshorn both find themselves in McDaniel's ranking of the Cubs' top 10 prospects. Kane Kepley and Kaleb Wing also get honorable mentions.
The Cubs' farm system is not nearly as strong as it once was, but the top of their system remains very talented. It will be an interesting balance for the Cubs this offseason, considering they likely will turn to the trade market as the primary path toward improving their Major League roster.