Expect struggling Cubs to stake future on prospect potential
The Cubs are closing in on the halfway point of the season and, needless to say, it's not going well.
Baseball seasons can turn on a dime sometimes, but it's probably safe to say the Cubs' short-term future will be focused on the long-term future.
Rather than trade prospects to help the current group, expect the Cubs to eventually trade the current group to make room for the prospects.
If the current Cubs were closer to the top, maybe it's a different story. As it stands today, the strength of the organization is the minor-leaguers playing well at a young age.
Catcher Moises Ballesteros, 20, was recently promoted to Triple A and is hitting .350 in his first five games. Outfielder Owen Caissie will turn 22 in a couple of weeks, but he's been at Triple A all season and leads the Iowa Cubs with 43 RBI.
At Double A Tennessee, infielder James Triantos, 21, is the leading hitter at .309 with a low strikeout rate and 25 stolen bases. Third baseman Matt Shaw, the team's 2023 first-round pick, just went on a power binge with 4 home runs and was named Southern Conference player of the week.
Shaw is 22, but the Cubs have five minor-league position players age 21 or younger on MLB Pipeline's list of Top 100 prospects.
“I'm glad people are taking note of that,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said last week. “We have guys at high levels at really young ages. Triantos just turned 21 in January. (OF Kevin) Alcantara is still young. Ballesteros is still 20, (SS Jefferson) Rojas just turned 19. Caissie's very young for Triple A.
“Not only are these guys performing, but they're doing it at ages where they're a couple years younger than the league. So I think there's a lot of good hitting performances going on.”
The current Cubs haven't done much hitting this season. Maybe the next generation can get it done.
Hoyer can dream of the Cubs mirroring the Baltimore's collection of young talent, but there's no guarantee any of these guys will bring big lumber to Wrigley Field. Christopher Morel, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Miguel Amaya have all experienced growing pains.
It's easy to say what the Cubs need right now is a superstar to anchor the lineup, so they should plan on bidding for free agent Juan Soto this winter.
One problem is corner outfielders Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki are both signed for two more years and reportedly have no-trade clauses. Another is the Cubs seem reluctant to follow the recent trend of 10- or 12-year free-agent deals, never mind that Bryce Harper is making $27.5 million this season and Dansby Swanson $26 million.
In hindsight, signing Harper in 2019 seems like it would have been a wise move for the Cubs, but there are plenty of regrettable giant contracts too. That's why the minor leagues are so important to Hoyer and Tom Ricketts.
A year ago, the Cubs seemed to be on the rise. Now every position, except maybe shortstop, will be up for grabs during the next couple of seasons.
At the moment, Triantos, Caissie, Ballestreros and the rest are in the lead.
Twitter: @McGrawDHSports