MLB Insider Reveals Which Cubs Prospects Could Leave at Trade Deadline originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Like many playoff contenders across MLB, the Chicago Cubs are expected to be buyers ahead of the July 31 trade deadline.
The North Siders, specifically, will be looking to bolster their starting rotation and increase their production at third base, and they have an abundance of riches in their minor-league system that can help deals get across the line.
According to MLB Pipeline’s latest rankings, the Cubs organization possesses five of the league’s top 100 prospects, putting them in a unique position to make multiple blockbuster deals. And with the club under intense pressure to make a deep postseason run, insider Jim Callis believes they will be willing to part ways with their most prized prospects, whose paths to the big-league roster have been stunted.
“They also have a backlog of prospects, who don’t have a place to play. In Triple-A alone, they have Owen Caissie, Moisés Ballesteros and Kevin Alcántara, who are all on our Top 100 Prospects list. And, they don’t have outfield openings in Chicago,” Callis said in a recent episode of the MLB Pipeline Podcast. “Ballesteros, who’s a catcher, is still learning to catch, so he’s not ready to catch in the big leagues.”
Caissie is the prize of the Cubs’ farm system and the league’s No. 37 overall prospect, per MLB Pipeline. He has spent the past two seasons at the Triple-A level with the Iowa Cubs; this year, he is hitting .278 with 20 home runs, 46 RBIs, 62 runs scored, and a .948 OPS. Caissie, who represented the Cubs at this year’s All-Star Futures Game, also played in the 2023 World Baseball Classic for Canada.
Ballestros has been hitting at a .332 clip (with nine home runs and 54 RBIs) in Iowa this season. His production led to his first major-league call-up in May, when he went a combined 3-16 at the plate with three RBIs.
Alcántara, like Ballestros, has reached the big leagues, but he made his debut last season. He played three games for the Cubs in 2024, recording one hit in 10 at-bats and scoring one run.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 25, 2025, where it first appeared.