Re-ranking Cubs farm system after draft and trade deadline shuffled parts around

The Chicago Cubs addressed virtually every need on the big-league roster ahead of the MLB trade deadline earlier this month, and while coming off Jefferson Rojas is nothing to scoff at, Jed Hoyer did a remarkable job keeping the majority of the team's prospect core intact.

Doing so, while adding the likes of Kevin Gausman, Clay Holmes, Ryan Zeferjahn, Braxton Garrett and Tyrone Taylor, is a testament to the work put in by Hoyer and the Cubs' front office and perfectly balanced putting the team's best foot forward this year, without sacrificing the long-term outlook of the organization.

We'd be remiss if we didn't also note the loss of Moises Ballesteros, who opened the year as a top-100 prospect but hit a wall offensively after a scorching hot first month, or highly regarded pitching talent Mason McGwire, but the point remains: Hoyer and the Cubs managed to hold onto the bulk of their high-end talent while giving the big-league club exactly what it needed.

If there's one strength these new Cubs prospect rankings unveil, it's outfield depth. Three of the team's top four prospects are outfielders - and four of the top seven roam the outfield grass. Josiah Hartshorn headlines the group, but don't sleep on the work of Kane Kepley, who has swiped 52 bags in 96 games and was recently promoted to Double-A.

On the pitching side of things, the system is notably lighter, but the duo of Jaxon Wiggins and Cade Townsend definitely has potential. My biggest question with Wiggins is health - you can't evaluate him as a prospect and not take into account the fact he's never even hit 80 innings in a season, either in college or as a pro. Until he does that, I have at least some wariness with him as a legit impact piece.

Cubs' farm system features a heavy dose of position player prospects

1: Josiah Hartshorn, OF - a sixth-round pick from 2025 who is putting together a breakout campaign across multiple levels of the system
2: Kane Kepley, OF - already with 50+ stolen bases, the thought of him and PCA patrolling the Wrigley outfield together is mouth-watering
3: Owen Ayers, C - the story of the system in 2026; real hope he's part of the catching equation as soon as next season
4: Ethan Conrad, OF - next season is big for Conrad, who didn't make his pro debut until a year after he was drafted as the #17 overall pick in 2025
5: Jaxon Wiggins, SP - workload, workload, workload. Cubs have been very careful with him, but at some point the kid gloves have to come off.
6: Cade Townsend, SP - first-round pick in 2026 and offers the highest upside in the system aside from Wiggins
7: Caden Sorrell, OF - legit power from the left side but comes with major swing-and-miss concerns
8: Kaleb Wing, SP - carries mid-rotation upside, but has made only nine starts this season
9: Myles Bailey, 1B - coming off a season-ending ankle injury, brings 65-grade power to the plate
10: James Triantos, UT - a seasoned prospect who could be on the trade block this offseason

There are a lot of questions, especially with the back half of this list. Can the big arms prove their durability over the course of a full season? For me, that's the biggest question facing this group. Next year will be a huge tell on what's to come for this group of prospects as they make their way into the upper levels of the minors. There's talent, but more needs to be shown for this sytem to be taken seriously among the best in the game.

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