Chicago Cubs: Is it time to trade away Triple-A for a shot at 2026 glory?

The Chicago Cubs came into this 2026 season with some big expectations hanging over their heads.

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After an eventful offseason which saw them add three-time All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman, emerging powerhouse starter Edward Cabrera, and four new free agent relievers to restock a depleted bullpen, there was the belief that this particular team could be a special one. As a matter of fact, there was actually some World Series chatter floating through the air.

However, things got off to a rough start. A flat-lining offense early in the season, along with a season-ending elbow injury to sophomore pitcher Cade Horton and several other pitching staff injuries (Matthew Boyd, Phil Maton, Hunter Harvey, Ethan Roberts, Daniel Palencia) resulted in a very uninspired stretch with which to start the season.

Things have turned around since then. The Cubs are currently in the midst of a five-game winning streak and have been piling up the runs in recent games. The pitching has also rallied around the proverbial flag and, as a whole, has been successful so far in compensating for the loss of talent.

But it would be unrealistic to assume that this current forward momentum could last forever. The offense is bound to come back down to earth. The pitching is almost guaranteed to eventually trend downward, especially when it comes to those roster replacements who appear to be currently overachieving to varying degrees.

The Cubs’ need to trade

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Trades will likely be necessary if the team is serious about making a deep postseason push. Specifically, they will probably need pitching more than anything else.

Even if ace Justin Steele returns from elbow surgery by mid-season and is close to what he usually produces and if Boyd/Palencia/Maton/Harvey stay mostly healthy the rest of the way, there would still be need for one more solid starter and, maybe, some bullpen help.

And the Cubs have plenty of trade fodder right in their farm system, at the Triple-A level. As a matter of fact, a case could be made for them emptying out Iowa to get more pitching by the trade deadline this year.

No team likes to trade a bundle of prospects, but the reality is that many of the Cubs’ highest-level top prospects have no path to a starting spot on the major league Cubs.

Who should be on the trade block?

First baseman Jonathon Long (no. 6 prospect) has a big bat, but Michael Busch is in Chicago and nobody plans on moving him out any time soon. SS/2B Jefferson Rojas (no. 4) is blocked by Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner, who just signed a six-year extension with the Cubs. 3B/2B Pedro Ramirez (no. 8) won’t get a starting gig in Chicago with Alex Bregman and Hoerner there. 2B/OF James Triantos (no. 9) is also without any real path to a major league spot. OF Brett Bateman (no. 20) profiles as a big speed/big defense centerfielder-type, but there’s no way he’s getting any playing time there with the recently extended Pete Crow-Armstrong around.

The only untouchables from Iowa would probably be top pitching prospect Jaxon Wiggins and outfielder Kevin Alcantara, who could be up for a corner outfielder gig if Chicago loses Ian Happ and/or Seiya Suzuki to free agency after this season.

The quality of the potential Cubs trade bait at their top minor league level can be debated, but they do have enough to land at least one quality starter by the deadline and maybe a quality setup man as well.

That could be all Chicago needs to make a real run at a championship. So, dealing prospects with no path to the majors should be a no-brainer. The Cubs should invest in their lower-level stars, but wheel and deal with what they have at Triple-A.

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Source: https://www.chicitysports.com/chicago-cubs-trade-prospects-rojas-long-triantos-alcantara-wiggins/