Assessing the Cubs’ Pitching Pipeline Heading Into the Offseason

[Sam Caulder]

Image courtesy of USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

If 2026 was any indication, the importance of pitching depth cannot be overstated. The Cubs dealt with a litany of injuries throughout the season, both in the starting rotation and the bullpen. As a result, Chicago had to constantly adjust on the fly and find different ways to fill those holes.

This year, a lot of that adjustment came through the trade market, rather than the Cubs’ pitching pipeline. But that’s at least partially because many of their young arms simply weren’t at the upper levels of the minors yet. So, what does the current state of the Cubs’ pitching pipeline look like? Let’s start at the top.

Cade Townsend

Chicago selected Townsend 23rd overall out of the University of Mississippi, and he currently ranks as the team’s top pitching prospect (and No. 2 overall prospect). He actually signed for about $850,000 below slot value at $3.1 million, but don’t let that fool you. Townsend struck out 32% of the batters he faced this year with the Rebels, compared to just an 8% walk rate. He also comes with a strong five-pitch mix, headlined by some very impressive breaking balls and a mid-to-upper-90s fastball.

He didn’t pitch at all in the minors this summer, so it’s likely the Cubs will be patient with him as he gets his professional career underway. He dealt with a minor shoulder problem early in the spring. But there’s a lot to like about his long-term outlook, and he could very well turn into a front-line big-league starter down the road.

Jaxon Wiggins

Townsend ranks as the Cubs’ No. 2 prospect overall, and right behind him at No. 3 is fellow right-hander Jaxon Wiggins. The consensus, coming into the year, was that Wiggins would be ready to make an impact in the majors at some point this season. That never happened, as he missed a good chunk of the year with elbow inflammation, and his performance with the Iowa Cubs also raised some concerns. He finished with a 7.83 ERA across 33⅓ innings. Most concerning was the fact that he issued 31 walks during that span.

The stuff is undoubtedly there. Wiggins has a high-90s fastball and a wicked low-90s slider, but he also walked 19.3% of all batters he faced this year. He gave up 34 hits, as well, although some of that was a mixture of bad luck and bad minor-league defense. Better batted-ball luck would have helped his numbers quite a bit, but the control still needs to improve.

With a full offseason of health and refinement, Wiggins can still make an impact with the Cubs in 2027. His prospect status is much less clear, though, and his future might be in the bullpen—if it's in the majors, at all.

Kaleb Wing

Wing comes in as North Side Baseball’s No. 8 prospect, after being the Cubs’ fourth-round pick in 2025. The team paid well over slot value to sign him, and his pre-injury numbers this year were encouraging. He struck out 34% of the batters he faced between Rookie ball and Low-A. There are definitely some wrinkles to work through—most notably his 16.4% walk rate at Low-A—but it was still a good first taste of professional baseball.

Unfortunately, Wing underwent Tommy John surgery in June and could wind up missing the entire 2027 season. That obviously puts a pause on his development, but he still has major-league starting pitcher upside down the road.

Brooks Caple

Caple also ranks inside the top 10 Cubs prospects, and 2026 was something of a breakout year for the 6-foot-6 right-hander. He made five strong starts at High-A South Bend before earning a promotion to Double-A Knoxville. He finished with a 3.24 ERA in 17 games there, while his swing-and-miss numbers took a significant step forward. After posting a 10% swinging-strike rate a year ago, Caple jumped all the way to 14.2% in 2026. He also did a very good job of limiting both walks and hard contact.

He has a deep arsenal led by his fastball, which he can run up into the upper 90s. Given his massive frame and the shape of the pitch, it can be very difficult to square up, and that helps his breaking balls, changeup and cutter play off of it. Caple doesn’t generate as much buzz as guys like Townsend or Wiggins, but it’s entirely possible he reaches the majors in 2027. He has the potential to turn into a mid-rotation or back-end major-league starter.

The Triple-A Arms

Then there’s a trio of Triple-A arms, in right-handers Will Sanders, Grant Kipp and Brandon Birdsell. These three guys come in as the Cubs’ No. 12, 16 and 20 prospects, respectively, but they all have their fair share of question marks.

Birdsell missed the entire season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, while Sanders and Kipp each finished the year with ERAs north of 5.00. However, Sanders, in particular, showcased an ability to miss bats at a strong clip this year. That will be a bigger question mark for Kipp and Birdsell (if and when he returns to the mound), although Kipp’s slurve-like breaking ball can exceed 3,000 RPM and gives him a foundation to work with.

Next year will reveal a lot about the futures these three arms have within the Cubs’ organization.

Jostin Florentino

And lastly, there’s Jostin Florentino. The 21-year-old right-hander out of the Dominican Republic comes in as the Cubs’ No. 14 prospect. The numbers from this year don’t necessarily stand out, as he finished with a 4.71 ERA across 63 innings with High-A South Bend. But the underlying numbers offer some encouragement. Florentino struck out 28.1% of the batters he faced and finished with a strong 13% swinging-strike rate. A big reason for that was his slider, which only sits in the mid-70s but generated a lot of swing-and-miss.

He doesn’t post gaudy numbers on the radar gun, and like many young arms, he’ll need to clean up the walks. If he can do that while adding a couple more miles per hour to his fastball, there’s some upside here. But, of course, doing both of those things is much easier said than done. 

There are several arms to keep an eye on within the Cubs’ organization. Not all of them will turn into major-league starters, and some will inevitably hit more roadblocks along the way. The pipeline isn't strong enough right now. These players, though, will be vital parts of the team's effort to fix that—which, in turn, will be vital to the team's efforts to go deeper into October over the next few seasons.

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[Nolo]

Great recap, now we need to get Townsend to throw a minor league inning. I am pumped for this kid but he needs to get innings next year.