Cubs expected to dump former top prospect whose value has plummeted

The Chicago Cubs will be one of the most intriguing teams to monitor between now and the MLB trade deadline. After a pair of 10-game winning streaks to run their record to 27-12 in early May, the Cubs have gone just 13-24 since, so their deadline strategy should be interesting.

While there were some speculating whether or not Chicago could actually sell by Aug. 3, a slight recent resurgence probably put the kibosh on that for now. The Cubs have won six of their last eight games to kind of right the ship, so more than likely, they will be looking to buy.

But who does Chicago have in its holster to trade?

The Cubs already moved top prospect Owen Caissie in the Edward Cabrera deal over the winter, so that’s not a thing anymore. Top pitcher Jaxon Wiggins is making his way back from elbow inflammation, and Chicago probably doesn’t want to part with its only compelling minor-league arm.

So what about former top prospect Kevin Alcantara?

Chicago Cubs might dump Kevin Alcantara

There was a time when Alcantara was one of the best prospects in all of baseball, but he has absolutely lost some of his luster.

Alcantara can’t seem to stay with the Cubs’ big-league club, and Ryan O’Rourke of Cubbies Crib feels the team’s lack of trust in him is an indication that he is as good as gone before the deadline.

“Particularly telling in the lack of trust for him right now is the Cubs’ recent decision to call up the light-hitting Justin Dean instead of Alcantara when they decided to send Moises Ballesteros down for a reset,” O’Rourke wrote. “If he’s not going to find playing time in Chicago and the strikeout issues aren’t seeing improvement, it feels almost certain that Alcantara will be part of a trade at or before the deadline.”

The question is, just how much value does Alcantara have at this point?

He has slashed .200/.250/.200 with one RBI across 32 major-league plate appearances dating back to 2024. Yes, he’s slashing .258/.353/.563 with 16 home runs and 37 RBI in Triple-A this season, but it feels like we have been talking about Alcantara for quite some time now.

The fact that the Cubs refuse to keep him on the roster for more than a brief period of time is not a great sign, and other squads around the league have surely taken note.

Alcantara is still just 23 years old, so he would still be of interest in trade discussions. But can he be the centerpiece of a package any longer? We’ll see.

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