Cubs suddenly have another shortstop prospect making Jefferson Rojas trade sting less

Of the myriad moves the Chicago Cubs executed at the 2026 trade deadline, none came with quite as much sticker shock as the Jefferson Rojas blockbuster. Generally considered the organization's top prospect at the time, president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer offloaded the rising shortstop in order to secure the services of two rentals from the New York Mets: Clay Holmes and Tyrone Taylor.

In all fairness to the front office, those two players have been excellent since joining the North Siders. Holmes has arguably emerged as the team's ace over the past month, pitching to a 1.55 ERA over his first five starts with the Cubs. Meanwhile, Taylor has been scorching hot at the plate, posting a 1.027 OPS and 186 wRC+ through his first 52 plate appearances.

Still, surrendering Rojas after spending years developing him into a top prospect really stung. So, what's the best way to get over him? By pulling the same trick with another rising shortstop prospect.

Angel Cepeda is playing his way into top prospect conversations with South Bend Cubs

Like Rojas, Angel Cepeda is an international prospect with roots in the Dominican Republic, and the latter is about six months younger than the now-former Cubs farmhand.

After spending his first two seasons after signing in the Dominican Summer League (2023) and Complex League (2024), Cepeda got his first taste of full-season ball last year and really impressed. At 19 years old, he hit .249/.339/.375 (116 wRC+) in Low-A, hitting eight home runs and swiping 27 bags through 100 games. He also really found his groove down the stretch; over his final 132 plate appearances in Myrtle Beach, he posted a blistering 157 wRC+ with 12 extra-base hits.

Thus, some hype started to build around him entering 2026, and he hasn't disappointed. In just 65 games at High-A, he's improved his walk rates, cut down on his strikeouts, and hit for more power than he did at the level below. He hasn't run as much, but a 112 wRC+ for a 20-year-old middle infielder in the Midwest League is impressive stuff.

And, just like last year, he's getting hotter the more time he has to adjust. Since August 1, he's hit eight of his 12 homers on the season, posting a .899 OPS. If he can finish the season that strong, a spot in Double-A Knoxville awaits him in 2027.

Now, none of this is meant to suggest that Cepeda is guaranteed to become the next big shortstop prospect in the organization. There are still a number of players at the position working their way up the farm system, including Juan Tomas, Fernando Cruz, and Johan Geraldo.

But with Rojas out of the picture, there's certainly a vacuum atop the Cubs' top prospect list. Cepeda is as good a bet as anyone (not named Josiah Hartshorn) to fill it.

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