The Chicago Cubs may soon be trying to tap a dry well when it comes to their farm system. If recent movements regarding former Cubs top prospects are any indication, there’s reason to believe that the team’s developmental system– formerly regarded by many as one of the best in baseball– might be facing some serious issues.
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Buried in Wednesday’s news of qualifying offers and protected prospects was the news that three once highly-regarded Cubs-developed prospects were DFA’d from their respective teams.
Christopher Morel, who held promise as a bat-first run producer, was designated for assignment by the Tampa Bay Rays after barely cracking the Mendoza line with them in a little under one-and-a-half seasons after coming in the trade that sent Isaac Paredes to Chicago. The pop that he occasionally showcased was not enough to overlook a .208 batting average over 154 games and the fact that he was utterly hopeless, defensively, anywhere he played.
One-time top outfield prospect Alexander Canario, who came to Chicago from San Francisco in the Kris Bryant trade, was DFA’d by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Former infield prospect Luis Vazquez, meanwhile, was designated for assignment by the Baltimore Orioles.
Chicago Cubs farm system: Tapped-out and/or overrated?
Syndication: The Des Moines Register Iowa Cubs’ Owen Caissie (17) makes his way to the dugout on Friday, March 28, 2025, at Principal Park in Des Moines. © Cody Scanlan/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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While three former prospects losing their roster spots is not necessarily an indictment of an entire farm system, it does possibly indicate that the Cubs have been off in assessing their own talent and, maybe, guilty of overvaluing what they have in the minors.
Recent farm system imports Pete Crow-Armstrong, Michael Busch, Cade Horton, Daniel Palencia, Migual Amaya, and Matt Shaw may tell a different tale, but there’s no denying that, right now, the Cubs’ system looks tapped out. With Moises Ballesteros and Owen Caissie likely to get a shot at every day major league play in 2026 and Kevin Alcantara in a use-him-or-lose-him spot as a prospect without major league options, the system looks especially thin at the Triple-A level, which was recently the strength of the organization.
A dearth of pitching prospects
Syndication: The Knoxville News Sentinel Knoxville Smokies pitcher Jaxon Wiggins (41) pitches during a minor league baseball game between the Knoxville Smokies and Chattanooga Lookouts at Covenant Health Park in Knoxville, Tenn., on June 3, 2025. © Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Also troubling is the fact that there’s an absolute dearth of high-end pitching prospects throughout the farm system. Aside from Top 3 prospect Jaxon Wiggins (no. 67 prospect in all of MLB), nobody profiles as a true impact arm within near-reach of the majors. Per MLB.com, Wiggins and Brandon Birdsell (no. 9) are the only pitchers listed among the Cubs’ Top 12 prospects (and the Cubs, on Wednesday, opted to expose the injury-prone Birdsell to the Rule 5 Draft by not adding him to their 40-man roster).
On a recent edition of the North Side Territory podcast, Baseball America’s Geoff Pontes talked about the Cubs’ disappointing run of pitching development and the inherent problems of an organization not developing their own pitching talent.
Per Pontes:
“They need to start targeting more upside and figuring out how internally they can then turn those upside traits into actual skills and production. For a team like this that’s been lacking in pitching, I think it’s something that’s really, really hurt them.”
Always hunting for pitching bargains
Jan 12, 2024; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer talks to the media after introducing pitcher Shota Imanaga (not pictured) during a press conference at Loews Chicago Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
Simply put, teams that don’t develop their own pitching will pay a steep price for it when/if they are in position to contend for a championship. In the case of the Cubs, who aren’t open to spending big money for pitching via free agency, president Jed Hoyer and the front office will constantly be burdened with having to find bargain arms and reclamation projects for short-term fixes.
If Ballesteros and Caissie stick at the major league level and take up spots at DH and right field– joining Crow-Armstrong, Busch, Amaya, and Shaw as every day position players, the Cubs will be fielding a young team on a comparatively small budget (with money to possibly spend on pitching) and may be alright despite a tapped-out farm system.
But the future comes fast and something has to be done soon to rebuild what was once a deep and well-regarded farm system.
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