Outfielder Kevin Alcantara's minor league options are gone. Cubs face a critical choice: keep him for limited play or trade his potential for pitching talent now.
The Chicago Cubs have a very important decision to make regarding outfielder Kevin Alcantara this offseason.
With Alcantara officially out of Minor League options, the Cubs have to carry him on the initial 26-man roster on Opening Day. If they don’t, the outfielder would be subject to waivers before being sent down.
So, the front office really only has two options with Alcantara this winter.
The first option is to keep him and have him make the Cubs’ Opening Day roster. He would get to stay in the organization and continue to develop.
The problem with that, though, is that Alcantara likely would see limited at-bats. He would essentially be the fifth on the outfield depth chart behind Ian Happ, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Seiya Suzuki, and Owen Caissie.
That means the odds that he sees consistent playing time are rather low. The Cubs’ No. 5 prospect would only see occasional at-bats in Chicago’s lineup, and that would hurt his development as a prospect.
The second option is to trade him away while his value is still somewhat high. With nowhere for Alcantara to play this upcoming year, the Cubs could deal him for a frontline starting pitcher this offseason.
Both the Washington Nationals (MacKenzie Gore) and the Miami Marlins (Edward Cabrera) could very well be interested in the 23-year-old outfield prospect. Alcantara could certainly headline a package deal for either of those pitchers in the coming weeks.
Alcantara had a career .278 batting average with 65 home runs and 329 RBI across his seven seasons in the Minors. In 2025, the outfielder slashed .266/.349/.470 with 17 home runs, 69 RBI, and 10 stolen bases across 102 games with the Triple-A Iowa Cubs.
While Alcantara hasn’t really showcased his potential in the big leagues yet, his solid power and speed could help him become a reliable bat in Chicago’s lineup for years to come. However, trading him might be the right move for the organization.
Since he has no options remaining, he would have more of a bench role throughout the 2026 season. Instead of wasting a full year of Alcantara's development, the Cubs should help their team now by trying to upgrade their rotation issues.
The Cubs’ win-now window is now, so making a move for a frontline starter like Gore or Cabrera could be exactly what the team needs to get over the top.
Losing Alcantara would hurt because he has the potential to become a really good Major League player one day. But the Cubs would still have sufficient outfield depth in their farm system (Caissie, Ethan Conrad, and James Triantos), and they would be acquiring a player in return who could help them win now.
That should make Alcantara expendable this offseason. Championship windows only last for so long.