Cubs Notes: Top Prospects, Hoerner And Shaw's Rising Value, MLB's Best Defense & More

With free agency dying down and the start of the new season approaching, the Chicago Cubs are now looking forward to the 2026 season.

While many players can already be found in Mesa, Arizona, we're less than a week away from the official spring training reporting date for pitchers and catchers, which is February 11th. Position players will follow a few days later on the 16th.

Here's the latest Chicago Cubs news and notes from the past week.

Cubs notes

2026 Projection Shows Where the Cubs Defense Ranks Among the League - MLB.com's Mike Petriello recently projected the top five defensive teams in the league (with the help of Fangraphs) for the 2026 season, and there's no surprise the Cubs were among the list.

Pete Crow-Armstrong | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Alongside the Cubs, the Toronto Blue Jays, Arizona Diamondbacks, Boston Red Sox, and Cleveland Guardians made the list.

MLB Expert Reveals the New-Look Top 10 Cubs Prospects for 2026 - ESPN's prospect expert Kiley McDaniel recently released his top 10 prospect rankings for every club, and with some additions and notable subtractions, such as Owen Caissie, the top 10 has a new look in 2026.

Moises Ballesteros took the top spot, followed by Jaxon Wiggins and Jefferson Rojas. There were four new additions to the top 10, while Kevin Alcantara saw a bit of a drop.

Cubs Lose Out on Former AL Rookie of the Year Finalist Miguel Andujar - Interesting in Miguel Andujar had been ramping up for weeks, with the Chicago Cubs one of the reported teams interested in his services. While the fit isn't exactly clear considering the Cubs' current roster, it's no longer a concern, as he's now signed with the San Diego Padres for a reported one-year, $4 million deal.

Cubs Set to Seize the Division as Data Projects Rivals Decline - It looks like the Cubs are in a prime position to take the division in 2026, and data from Fangraphs seems to confirm it. 2025 NL Central winners, the Milwaukee Brewers, are pegged to have a 14-win drop this year, going from a 97-win season to an 83-win season.

With the Brewers coming into 2026 in a weaker spot and the Cubs entering stronger than they've looked since their 2016 title, all signs point to a division title and perhaps much more.

Three Cubs Players Key to Dethroning the Los Angeles Dodgers - Speaking of much more, here are the three Cubs players who will be key to the team dethroning the reigning world champs, the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Cade Horton | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Cubs' Biggest Trade Assets Just Got Even More Valuable - While the Cubs have been confirmed to be fielding calls from teams interested in Matt Shaw and Nico Hoerner throughout free agency, all signs point to them keeping both. And with the Cubs seemingly happy to keep both, the asking price is said to be extremely steep.

And following moves made around the MLB in recent days, the market for both Hoerner and Shaw could pick up tremendously. There aren't a ton of top free agent infielders out there, and the closer to the season it gets, the more desperate teams may become to solidify their rosters.

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