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The Chicago Cubs Need to Focus A Lot More on Their Farm System

The Cubs' farm system needs drastic improvements to make a deep playoff run filled with sustained success. 
Doug Schwamb|
Ole Miss pitcher Cade Townsend (10) celebrates a strikeout during a NCAA baseball game between Tennessee and Ole Miss at Lindsey Nelson Stadium on April 18, 2026.
Ole Miss pitcher Cade Townsend (10) celebrates a strikeout during a NCAA baseball game between Tennessee and Ole Miss at Lindsey Nelson Stadium on April 18, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

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Chicago Cubs

A common theme emerged when MLB.com released its farm system rankings in August: The top-3 farm systems are playoff contenders.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are No. 1, the Tampa Bay Rays are No. 2, and the Milwaukee Brewers are No. 3. You would think that the teams with the top farm systems would be nowhere near playoff baseball, but it's the opposite.

Building a farm system doesn't guarantee a team eternal glory, but it does provide valuable depth. This helps teams create sustained success. The Chicago Cubs ranked a mere 28th overall, and several factors contributed to it.

Of course, a handful of players graduated, but the team also made numerous trades to improve the major-league roster. The farm system is so depleted that the 2026 first-round pick, Cade Townsend, is rated as the No. 4 prospect in their system. If the Cubs want to return to the World Series, they need to rebuild the farm system to be a true contender.

Look at Theo Epstein. When he led the Boston Red Sox, they won two World Series Championships. Epstein built the farm system from the ground up and provided considerable talent for years to come. The Red Sox won two World Series Championships in 2004 and 2007. Even after Epstein left, the Red Sox still reaped the benefits of having a top farm system for many years.

When Epstein took over the Cubs, he followed a similar mentality. The executive rebuilt the farm system by drafting and trading for top prospects. The young core mixed with savvy veterans finally gave the Cubs and their fans a World Series title. After that, the Cubs failed to keep the momentum going. Instead of being patient, the team traded away minor-league talent to acquire players that could help them win immediately.

To their credit, this approach made sense and paid off in 2016. The Cubs traded top prospect Gleyber Torres to the New York Yankees to acquire Aroldis Chapman. The Cubs were one piece away from a title, and it worked. 

However, every trade afterward arguably slipped them further and further away from long-term contention. Had the Cubs been patient, the team would be in a better spot. Look at the 2014 MLB Draft: The Cubs selected Kyle Schwarber, Justin Steele, and Dylan Cease. The impatience led to Cease being traded and Schwarber leaving in free agency. You can say those two are some of the best players in baseball right now. A core of those guys, a healthy Justin Steele, and an MVP in Pete Crow-Armstrong, could lead this group to a World Series!

I know ... hindsight is 20/20!

To be sure, President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer began rebuilding the farm system after trading away the core players. It improved significantly. Led by Cade Horton and Crow-Armstrong, the Cubs were on the verge of something special. Alas, it hasn’t happened yet, and now the Cubs have gutted their minor league system yet again.

The Cubs have traded away top prospects, including Owen Cassie, Jackson Ferris, Moises Ballesteros, Jefferson Rojas, and more. That, along with the Cubs’ lack of successful drafting from Vice President of Scouting Dan Kantrovitz, has cost the Cubs precious time. Ed Howard was a miss; Jordan Wicks has become a bust, and Matt Shaw is at best a role/utility player with limited star potential. After all, the Cubs signed Alex Bregman to replace Shaw at third base. 

Let's also not forget that they traded away a 2024 first-round pick, Cam Smith, for a one-year rental in Kyle Tucker. If the Cubs want to get better, they need to finally have some patience with their farm system, let alone tweak their draft strategy.

In baseball, winning almost always starts with rebuilding the farm. The Cubs have their core in the majors. If they want to create sustained high-level success, they need to be willing to focus more on development. Just look at the teams competing in the 2026 playoffs. It underscores that a well-developed farm system is the better approach.

In other words, the Cubs must be very careful about trading away players like Ethan Conrad, Josiah Hartshorn, Myles Bailey, and Cade Townsend. These players are the potential future core. Their focus should be to continue building up the farm system while taking smart and cost-effective approaches to free agency. The Cubs faced a major setback this season, and only patience and development will get the Cubs back to the promised land.

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Doug Schwamb
DOUG SCHWAMB

Doug Schwamb has written for sports blogs on FanSided, including Da Windy City and Pippen Ain’t Easy. He graduated with a degree in Journalism from Marquette University, where he wrote for the Marquette Wire Newspaper and covered the men's golf team. Schwamb loves to travel, and his goal is to visit all 30 MLB stadiums with his dad. They're at seven total!

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