Once a top contender, the Cubs' once-vaunted farm system has tumbled. ESPN's latest rankings reveal a surprising freefall, leaving fans questioning the future.
The Chicago Cubs' farm system isn’t as strong as it once was.
Back in 2023, the Cubs had the fourth-best farm system on MLB Pipeline. Then, before the 2024 system, their farm system ranked second on that same site. Even entering the 2025 season, the North Siders had the eighth-best farm system.
During this three-year stretch, Chicago had notable players like Pete Crow-Armstrong, Michael Busch, Cade Horton, Matt Shaw, Owen Caissie, Kevin Alcantara, and Cam Smith all ranked as top-100 prospects at one time.
But with most of those players graduating from prospect rankings or being traded, the Cubs are left with a below-average farm system. That is according to ESPN’s latest MLB farm system rankings.
ESPN ranked the best farm systems across all 30 teams entering the 2026 season. The Cubs came in at No. 25 after ranking 10th on last year’s list.
With Chicago coming in at the No. 25 spot, ESPN has them as the sixth-worst farm system in baseball. Only the Atlanta Braves (No. 26), Los Angeles Angels (No. 27), Colorado Rockies (No. 28), Houston Astros (No. 29), and San Diego Padres (No. 30) are ranked lower on this list.
“The Cubs recently traded top-100 prospect Owen Caissie to the Marlins in the package for Edward Cabrera,” Kiley McDaniel of ESPN wrote. “Cade Horton and Matt Shaw graduated last season, with Pete Crow-Armstrong, Ben Brown, and Jordan Wicks losing eligibility the year before that. And acquiring Michael Busch two years ago cost Chicago the now-40th-ranked prospect in baseball in Zyhir Hope along with 128th-ranked Jackson Ferris.”
It is a bit surprising to see the Cubs rated this low on ESPN’s recent farm system rankings. But it’s not a total shock to see them in the bottom half of the league.
Most sites only have Chicago with two top-100 prospects entering the year (Moises Ballesteros and Jaxon Wiggins), and there are question marks behind those two prospects. Jefferson Rojas struggled in his first taste of Double-A ball last year, while Alcantara strikes out far too much.
The Cubs, though, could quickly rise up in farm system rankings once their 2025 draftees gain more Minor League experience.
Ethan Conrad’s smooth swing could place him on top-100 prospect rankings sooner rather than later. Kane Kepley already hit .299 with six extra-base hits and 16 stolen bases at Single-A last year, and the Cubs signed Kaleb Wing well above his slot value in the fourth round, showing they believe in his long-term potential.
So, they could slowly climb up these rankings by midseason.
“There doesn't need to be a weakness in scouting to explain why the Cubs have a lower farm ranking this year,” McDaniel wrote. “I liked their haul from the 2025 draft: Ethan Conrad, Kane Kepley, Josiah Hartshorn and Kaleb Wing."