Prospects on the radar as Chicago Cubs continue to shift focus toward the future (2024)

CHICAGO — The Chicago Cubs accomplished two goals by releasing Héctor Neris. It created a spot in the bullpen for Jack Neely, a 6-foot-8 reliever acquired from the New York Yankees at the trade deadline in exchange for Mark Leiter Jr. Left unsaid was that Neris could no longer reach and then convert a $9 million player option for next season. As Theo Epstein once said, young talent and financial flexibility are the game’s strongest currencies.

Replacing Neris with Neely appeared to signal a willingness to let the kids play. The Cubs, however, aren’t quite ready to fully pivot toward the future and promote players from Triple-A Iowa en masse.

“Nothing scheduled,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said.

“Nothing planned,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “Things can happen, of course, but nothing planned.”

Waving the white flag isn’t something they want to do in late August. The Cubs are still on the outskirts of the wild-card race and not mathematically eliminated from playoff consideration. But if Wednesday night’s 8-2 loss to the Detroit Tigers spirals into another bad stretch — or the team continues to drift beneath .500 — the outlook could shift and lead to more changes.

“We definitely have those conversations,” Hoyer said. “It’s fun right now to watch Iowa. We have a lot of players that I think are getting close to the big leagues.”

Neely gave up a three-run homer to Detroit’s Kerry Carpenter in the ninth inning of his Wrigley Field debut, the kind of learning experience that the Cubs may move to the forefront. These names — prospects, rookies, young or unproven players — are under consideration and worth monitoring in September, based on information from team and league sources:

• Kevin Alcántara has the defensive skills that Counsell always looks for when deciding whether to give young talent playing time. Defensively, Alcántara has gone from someone scouts worried would grow into a corner outfielder to being viewed as a plus defender in center field. Alcántara, the 6-foot-6 athlete the Cubs acquired in the Anthony Rizzo trade, truly lets his ability shine when he is lifting the ball. His poor offensive stretches start when he chases and puts the ball on the ground. He’s looked good at the plate during his first exposure to Triple A, and he’s already on the 40-man roster. Seeing him soon at Wrigley Field doesn’t feel like a long shot.

• Moises Ballesteros has generated mixed reviews behind the plate, but prudent executives are quick to point out that catching development takes time. Yes, the body type (listed at 5-foot-7, 195 pounds) doesn’t inspire confidence, but ruling out Ballesteros sticking as a catcher would be a rush to judgment. Offensively, there just aren’t many players who have reached Triple A at the age of 20 and performed at Ballesteros’ level on offense and then failed in the big leagues. At minimum, Ballesteros seems like a highly valuable bat that can help in the very near future. The Cubs, though, may prefer to keep that spot on the 40-man roster open rather than carry him all winter.

• Owen Caissie needs to be added to the 40-man roster at season’s end to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft, which improves his chances for an audition. His prospect profile, offensively at least, hasn’t changed that much since his inclusion in the Yu Darvish trade. Caissie is going to strike out at a decent clip, but when he connects, his 90th percentile exit velocity would be elite even for big-league standards. This year that’s been actualized with more in-game power, which was always the hope. His defense in right field has also improved, and he’s more athletic than originally believed.

• Matt Shaw struggled early in the season due to some unintended changes to his swing that occurred naturally over the course of the offseason. After that was cleaned up, Shaw went on an offensive tear, forcing his way to Triple A during his first full season in professional baseball and showing why the Cubs made him the No. 13 pick in the 2023 draft. Still, his swing is unorthodox, which gives some evaluators pause as to how it will play against pitchers at the highest level when he’s attacked with truly elite stuff. The Cubs seem to be aware and Shaw is willing to make changes as needed, though they’re not expected to be drastic.

• Jordan Wicks (strained right oblique) is expected to make at least one more Triple-A start before the Cubs decide on his next step. Counsell said the Cubs might “sprinkle in” a sixth starter at certain points down the stretch. The more revealing part is that Wicks, a 2021 first-round pick, may not necessarily be handed a job, or at least that’s how Counsell made it sound: “We’ve definitely lost innings of development. He’s lost time on the mound proving himself, and some other guys have kind of run with that opportunity, like Javy Assad. Competing for starts or a spot is kind of where he’s at.”

• Hayden Wesneski (strained right forearm) is scheduled for another bullpen session this weekend in Arizona, with the hope of progressing toward throwing live batting practice next week and eventually moving to a rehab assignment with a minor-league affiliate.

• Ben Brown (strained neck) remains shut down without a clear timeline for a return.

• Caleb Kilian, Daniel Palencia and Keegan Thompson are all on the 40-man roster and pitching for Iowa, which means they could get a look in September as the team tries to evaluate for the future. Michael Arias also has 40-man status at the Triple-A level, but the former infielder the Cubs converted and took on as a pitching project needs more seasoning before he would be seriously considered for a promotion.

(Photo of Jordan Wicks: Quinn Harris / Getty Images)