Chicago Cubs predicted to deal top prospect in season-salvaging move

The Chicago Cubs aren’t in the good place they wanted to occupy at this point of the season. As of this writing, they sport a 39-36 record, but are eight games behind the first place Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central Division.

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If the season ended today, they’d also miss out on a Wild Card spot.

Unfortunately, there will be no cavalry riding in to rescue the injury-battered starting rotation as pitching reserves are depleted and the August 3 trade deadline is still about a month-and-a-half away.

But if the Cubs are still in contention by the deadline—and that’s a big ‘if’ at this point—there will be immense pressure on the front office to make an impact trade or two for some real pitching help.

Cubs trade bait

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Matt Shaw is probably the most valuable trade bait in the organization because of his youth and his standing as a player who can be plugged into a lineup and contribute immediately. Other tradeable assets include infielders Pedro Ramirez and Jefferson Rojas, outfielder Kevin Alcantara, and first baseman Jonathon Long.

But Ryan Phillips of SI.com believes that Chicago may be just desperate enough for a playoff berth this year that they’d offer up their top pitching prospect (and their overall no. 3 prospect) Jaxon Wiggins.

Per Phillips:

“The Cubs are a contender this year, though they’re already eight games behind the Brewers in the NL Central. They need a boost, particularly in the rotation. Matthew Boyd and Jameson Taillon are currently on the IL, while Cade Horton has been lost for the season to Tommy John surgery and Justin Steele still isn’t recovered from his Tommy John surgery last year.

The Cubs have a solid crop of prospects to dangle in a deal, but I’d wager shortstop Jefferson Rojas and infielder Pedro Ramírez are untouchable. The top player I could see them parting with is righty Jaxon Wiggins, who has incredibly high upside but will be 25 in October and has been sidelined since April due to elbow inflammation.”

Could Jaxon Wiggins be moved?

The 6-foot-6 power pitcher just threw in his first Arizona Complex League game and he seemed physically on track through two innings and forty pitches.

A second-round draft pick in 2023, the Cubs were confident enough to select him despite the Tommy John surgery he underwent earlier that same year. In his time in the Cubs organization, he’s shown steady development, although he’s been kept on a bit of workload leash out of concerns for his durability and long-term health.

It would seem counterintuitive for the Cubs to trade away their top pitching prospect as they struggle with pitching depth in the here and now. However, a case could be made that Wiggins, even given his injury history and the risk of re-injury, might actually be the team’s biggest piece of trade bait over Shaw.

While his upside is huge, Chicago is in a position where they need to make a push in the present tense. Assembling a trade package with the power-pitching righty as the main attraction could help bring in a high-end starter with years of team control rather than just a three-month rental.

It’s doubtful that the team would trade away its last homegrown pitching prospect on the immediate horizon, but nobody is untouchable if the return is attractive enough.

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