New Cubs prospect rankings trigger fresh farm system questions

The 2026 MLB season is nearly here, and that means every national outlet is releasing its top prospects lists to reflect the new year. Most of the big consensus rankings have already dropped, and though there are slight variations depending on each evaluator's scale or preference, most lists reflect similarly for the Chicago Cubs.

Effectively, the four-best prospects in the system aren't up for debate. Jefferson Rojas, Moises Ballesteros, Jaxon Wiggins, and Kevin Alcantara are the best the Cubs have to offer, with some outlets also giving some love to players like Ethan Conrad and Jonathon Long.

FanGraphs' newly released Top 100 list remains true to that theory, though what's interesting about their ranking is the placement of each Cubs prospect. Rojas and Alcantara are actually the highest-ranked of the bunch, with Ballesteros and Wiggins pulling up the rear among the quartet. That's pretty much the reverse of what most other outlets have said this offseason.

Oh, and none of the team's prospects crack the top 50, all ranking between Nos. 55 and 84.

Cubs are facing a crucial prospect development period ahead of multiple graduations

Ballesteros is the known quantity of the group. He dazzled in his MLB debut at the end of 2025 and is slated for a big role as the team's starting designated hitter in 2026. There's no guarantee he ever develops into a star slugger á la Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros, but he's got as high a floor as any hitting prospect in the minors. His upcoming graduation from the prospect ranks will only hurt the system more.

Wiggins is the team's top-ranked arm, and though he figures to start the year in Triple-A, he too could graduate in short order. If Alcantara makes the Opening Day roster as the fourth outfielder, the same will be true for him.

Some recent graduations (Matt Shaw, Cade Horton) and trades (Owen Caissie) have deprived the organization of impact prospect talent, though the hope is that recent draft picks like Conrad or second-round selection Kane Kepley (who lit pro baseball on fire after the 2025 draft) can replenish the farm system with big upside. Having top-100 prospects is nice, but it's usually the guys in the top 20 who are slated for future stardom (like Pete Crow-Armstrong was).

Obviously, the Cubs are in a win-now period, and they'll only be subtracting prospect talent in trades, rather than adding it. That hasn't stopped teams like the Dodgers or Brewers from continuously ranking among the best prospect havens in the league, but it will prove to be a difficult task for the front office to keep up their minor-league stock while they focus their attention on the major-league roster.