The Chicago Cubs are blessed with an excellent farm system, and that's going to come into play at the July trade deadline.
As firmly established division leaders and pennant contenders, the Cubs will be in a position to buy. They'll likely go after starting pitching, bullpen help, and possibly even an upgrade at third base if an All-Star like Alex Bregman suddenly becomes available.
The Cubs' top prospects who have already appeared in the big leagues, namely infielder Matt Shaw and starting pitcher Cade Horton, probably aren't for sale. But there are still plenty of exciting young players they could dangle.
Moisés Ballesteros, the 21-year-old Triple-A catcher/first baseman, would be of interest to many teams. He's got a .332 batting average and .876 OPS this season, so his offense is enough to boost his long-term value even if he can't stick behind the plate.
In a recent article, Sam Bernardi of Athlon posed an interesting trade possibility: Ballesteros for Texas Rangers starter Tyler Mahle, who has returned from an injury that limited him to eight games pitched from 2023 to 2024 to post a sparkling 2.02 ERA in 13 starts.
"The Cubs have a few top prospects to dangle at sellers, namely C/1B Moisés Ballesteros," wrote. "Chicago’s already strong catching depth and need for either a starting pitcher or another high-leverage reliever make Ballesteros a potential trade option.
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"Mahle is on an expiring deal, but his 2.02 ERA/3.23 FIP will likely mean Ballesteros plus another pitching prospect for his services."
Mahle is only 30, but his injury history makes him tough to project over the long haul. That means the Cubs would be acquiring him first and foremost as a rental, with a reunion in free agency shoved to the back burner.
If it's a swap of Ballesteros plus more, Mahle had better be awfully good in Chicago to justify making such a deal.
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