A promising arm from the farm system, Jaxon Wiggins' triple-digit fastball could solidify the bullpen and propel the Cubs to contention.
The Chicago Cubs are projected to be one of the best teams in the National League this season.
They are expected to win the National League Central and have one of the best over/under win totals in the National League heading into the 2026 season. The Cubs’ 88.5 projected wins are the fourth-most in the NL, only behind the Dodgers (103.5), Mets (90.5), and Phillies (89.5).
The Cubs will also face some divisional competition from the Brewers. Milwaukee has won the National League Central in four of the past five seasons, and this team always performs better than expected.
So, if the Cubs want to win the division for the first time in a full season since 2017, they will need some reinforcements down the stretch. One of those reinforcements could come from their farm system.
Last year, the Cubs called up top pitching prospect Cade Horton to fill a spot in their rotation in early May. Horton then went on to finish with a 2.67 ERA and 97 strikeouts en route to finishing second in National League Rookie of the Year voting.
For this season, another top pitching prospect could make an immediate impact in the Major Leagues. Pitcher Jaxon Wiggins could be called up by the team later in the year to provide more pitching help in the final weeks.
Wiggins has all the talent in the world to come up and make his mark in the big leagues. He is currently MLB Pipeline’s No. 58 overall prospect and is the ninth-best right-handed pitching prospect in the Minors.
The right-hander is also coming off a dominant 2025 season in which he had a 2.19 ERA and 97 strikeouts across 78 innings pitched at High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A. Although he struggled in those Triple-A outings, Wiggins had a 26.1% hard-hit rate, a 31.8% strikeout rate, and a 37.3% whiff rate in those starts.
Wiggins will begin the season in the Minors after the Cubs reassigned him to minor league camp a few weeks ago. However, his time in the big leagues is shortly approaching. MLB Pipeline estimates that he’ll make his Major League debut sometime this season.
That makes him the one prospect who could really help the Cubs in 2026. He will likely come in to help the Cubs' bullpen and could really boost that group once he arrives in the Majors. Wiggins has a plus fastball that could touch triple-digits.
Wiggins could make the same impact with the Cubs as Horton did a season ago.