3 Chicago Cubs prospects who won't be back in 2025 and why

The 2024 season did not go as the Chicago Cubs had envisioned. They expected to compete for the NL Central division title if not win it, but fell short in a major way, finishing 10.0 games back of the first-place Milwaukee Brewers and in third place overall.

With how poorly this season went, Jed Hoyer needs to be aggressive this offseason. That means showing a willingness to spend money in free agency but also making trades. With the Cubs having an extremely deep and talented farm system, they have the unique opportunity to part with some of their prospects for proven talent while still boasting one of the best farms in the sport.

With that in mind, trading these three prospects feels like a no-brainer for Chicago for different reasons.

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3) The Cubs should get something for Brennan Davis while they still can

Brennan Davis was once seen as an exciting prospect in Chicago's system, but due to injuries and underperformance, his stock has plummeted. He now ranks as the team's No. 26 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, a far cry from where he was just a couple of years ago.

A season like the one he just had in 2024 shows why Davis' stock has fallen. He slashed .220/.369/.451 overall in 55 games. He did hit 11 home runs and drew a ton of walks, but his batting average was extremely low, he struck out 51 times in 55 games, and again, he played in just 55 games. He has appeared in more than 71 games just once in his six minor league seasons, and that came back in 2021.

Davis has a strong knowledge of the strike zone and has a lot of power, but his hit tool is far from polished, and injuries are a concern.

What really makes matters worse for Davis, though, is the fact that he'll be 25 years old in November, is currently on their 40-man roster, and has only one more minor league option left. He hasn't made it to the majors yet with Chicago, and given the fact that he's an outfielder behind several others on the depth chart, his odds of making it to the majors with the Cubs feel slim. Getting something for him now while the Cubs can feels like the best course of action.

2) The Cubs have no room for Kevin Alcantara on their MLB roster

With just days left in the 2024 regular season, the Cubs made the exciting move to promote Kevin Alcantata — the main prospect acquired in the Anthony Rizzo trade -— to the majors. He only had one hit in 10 at-bats in his short stint with Chicago, but is an exciting prospect.

Alcantara is Chicago's No. 6 prospect according to MLB Pipeline and the No. 67 overall prospect on MLB Pipeline's Top 100 list. The fact that he was promoted at the end of the season shows that the Cubs believe he can contribute at the MLB level on a winning team right now or, at the very least, early next season. One problem, though — where is he going to play in 2025?

Ian Happ is the team's left fielder and is not going anywhere. He's under contract through the 2026 campaign and even if the Cubs wanted to trade him (they shouldn't), he has a no-trade clause. Pete Crow-Armstrong emerged down the stretch as the team's undisputed starting center fielder. Assuming Cody Bellinger opts into his contract, he's going to play right field. Even if he doesn't, Seiya Suzuki is locked in through the 2026 campaign as well.

This isn't even to mention Mike Tauchman's presence or that of a higher-ranked prospect, Owen Caissie, who spent much of last season in Triple-A.

All of this goes to show that the Cubs are absolutely loaded in the outfield, and there's a good chance that even if the Cubs believe Alcantara is ready to go at the MLB level, he'll be in a bench role or back in Triple-A. To prevent that from happening and to allow the Cubs to sell him when his value is incredibly high, they should look to include him in a big trade.

1) The Cubs should trade James Triantos in a blockbuster

Yet another elite position player prospect that the Cubs have in their organization is James Triantos, their No. 5 prospect according to MLB Pipeline and the No. 55 overall prospect on MLB Pipeline's Top 100 list.

While Triantos has seen some time in the outfield, he's primarily an infielder, seeing most of his minor league time at the keystone and at the hot corner. Of the 115 games he appeared in last season, 86 of them came at second base.

The 21-year-old doesn't have much power, but he hit .300 splitting time between Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa and stealing 47 bases. He can absolutely be a leadoff hitter at the MLB level in the not-too-distant future, especially considering the fact that he finished last season in Triple-A (and played well).

Triantos is an exciting prospect that the Cubs shouldn't be rushing to trade, but similar to Alcantara, it's safe to ask where exactly is he going to play?

Second base is currently occupied by Nico Hoerner, who is an important piece of this Cubs team. Even if the Cubs were to trade Hoerner, there's a good chance that Matt Shaw, a higher-ranked prospect than Triantos, would be the first man up over Triantos. Third base is occupied by Isaac Paredes, a player that the Cubs just traded a ton to acquire as their future at the position. Sure, the Cubs can move Paredes across the diamond to first base, but that's where Michael Busch is. He's not going anywhere.

Triantos has seen some time in the outfield as mentioned prior, but again, the outfield is loaded.

It'd hurt a ton to watch him succeed elsewhere, but the Cubs have the prospect capital to make a major move or two and not even blink. If Jed Hoyer wants to win right now, Triantos, a player without a clear future in Chicago, should be very available.