Chicago Cubs: 1 trade, 1 signing and 1 prospect to win the World Series

Cubs rumors: Hayden Wesneski is a prospect to watch

The 25-year-old Wesneski came over to Chicago in last season’s trade deadline swap with the New York Yankees for pitcher Scott Effross. The deal is looking like a winner for the Cubs as Wesneski was solid in his MLB debut last season while Effross saw his season come to an early end because of an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery.

Wesneski threw 33.0 innings for the Cubs last season, appearing in six games (four starts). After coming out of the bullpen for his first two games, Weneski made four starts in the final month of the campaign, posting a 1.85 ERA/0.945 WHIP during that stretch. Opponents hit just .202 against him in his last 24.1 innings of the year, setting up for what should be a solid 2023.

Ranking 12th on the list of Cubs prospects last season, Wesneski may once again start the season in Triple-A with the Cubs signing Jameson Taillon and bringing back Drew Smyly to fill rotation spots. However, there’s little doubt that Wesneski will once again make an impact on the MLB mound this season, potentially setting the stage to become a fixture in the rotation for years to come.