Jed Hoyer makes unusual Cubs front office hire as farm system ranking tumbles

It's been an up-and-down year for the Chicago Cubs' farm system. The system was trending in the right direction leading up to the draft, considering Josiah Hartshorn, Owen Ayers, and Kane Kepley have all enjoyed breakout seasons. But the lack of pitching made most prospect evaluators sour on the system.

The Cubs added 16 pitchers during this summer's draft and just when the farm system was taking a step forward, the trade deadline happened. It was needed, but there were notable departures from the Cubs' system. Moises Ballesteros, Mason McGwire, and Jefferson Rojas were among the prospects that were traded at the deadline.

Now, the consensus among most outlets is that the Cubs' farm system has returned to being among the worst in baseball. That's not a dramatic reason for concern, considering further progression from Hartshorn, Ayers, and Kepley could raise the floor once again. Not to to mention, Ethan Conrad playing in games and the arrival of the 2026 draft class should also help things.

Cubs' farm system ranking adds intrigue to Jed Hoyer's new hire

That said, post draft and trade deadline are often when front offices start to make changes. That's been the case for Jed Hoyer as the Cubs have found a new director of scouting operations. USA Today's Bob Nightengale reports that the Cubs have hired Kenta Nomoto as their director of scouting operations, and promoted Michael Meagher to coordinator of amateur scouting.

On the surface, it sounds very unusual. The Cubs randomly found an investment banker who just graduated Harvard Business School and suddenly put him in charge of finding talent. Truth be told, it sounds like the move has been in the works for quite some time. Nomoto reportedly had an influence in the Cubs' scouting operation ahead of the 2026 draft, and is widely respected across the organization and baseball.

Continuity has been the theme of Hoyer's front office with the Cubs, but the scouting department has seen some significant changes. For the most part, the Cubs have moved away from in-person scouting. The Cubs rely on their technology and data-driven models. It's why some of their offseason decisions can seem robotic, but Hoyer has left room for human judgement.

Case in point, Alex Bregman probably wasn't a deal that was accepted by the Cubs' internal model projections. Despite how the Bregman experience started, it's now looking like Hoyer made the right move to land the player he's been obsessed with for years. As is the case with most things, there's a need for balance and the hope is that Nomoto helps with those efforts.

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