Cubs Prospect Rankings in Store for More Changes Ahead of MLB Trade Deadline

Heading into the 2025 MLB season, the Chicago Cubs had one of the top ranked farm systems in baseball.

With the 2025 MLB Draft now complete, the team’s prospect rankings have changed a lot since the preseason, with the biggest adjustments being courtesy of two graduations: third baseman Matt Shaw and right-handed pitcher Cade Horton.

Both top-100 prospects, their graduation will have a major impact on the team’s rankings this winter, but there is still plenty of highly-touted prospects to buoy the system.

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Catcher Moises Ballesteros, outfielder Kevin Alcantara, shortstop Jefferson Rojas, outfielder Owen Caissie, right-handed pitcher Jaxon Wiggins and first baseman Johnathan Long were all in the top 10 coming into the year and moved up accordingly.

Ballesteros is now the No. 1 ranked prospect in the organization, as shared by Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.

Right-handed pitcher Brandon Birdsell, a fifth-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, cracked the top 10 for the first time, landing at No. 8.

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Coming in at No. 5 is the team’s first-round selection this year, first baseman Ethan Conrad out of Wake Forest University.

Joining him in the top 10 from the draft class is sixth-round pick Josiah Hartshorn, a prep outfielder out of Orange Lutheran High School in Orange, California, who was selected No. 181 overall.

Alas, they could be joined by a few more of their 2025 draft picks in the coming weeks because the Cubs are expected to be active ahead of the MLB trade deadline and the back end spots expected to change.

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“Conrad was the Cubs' first-round pick and Hartshorn (sixth round, No. 55 on my board) is narrowly ahead of second-round pick Kane Kepley (No. 57 on my board), who are both just ahead of Kaleb Wing (fourth round). The last couple of spots on the list could change by the end of the season,” wrote McDaniel.

The most popular prospect in the sport that has been mentioned by front offices around the league as the player likeliest to be on the move is Caissie, who is ready for a chance to show what he has got at the Major League level.

His prodigious power has been on display this season and he has accomplished everything he could in the minor leagues.

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Caissie is likely the highest ranked player Chicago would move, but if they want to keep pace with the other contenders, they need to be open to trading multiple top-10 prospects.

Capitalizing on the time they have Kyle Tucker on their side for should be the No. 1 goal of ownership and the front office with two weeks until the deadline.

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