Cubs Video
At the 2025 MLB trade deadline, the big hang-up the Cubs kept running into was simple: everyone wanted Moisés Ballesteros. The Nationals were interested in a package of Matt Shaw and Cade Horton in exchange for controllable southpaw MacKenzie Gore, but if Chicago wasn't willing to give up both of them, then Ballesteros had to be in the mix. When they talked to the Marlins about starters Edward Cabrera and Sandy Alcántara; when they talked to the Twins about pitchers Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax and Joe Ryan; and when they talked to the Pirates about Mitch Keller and David Bednar, Ballesteros was the name that came up every time. The Rays were interested in Ballesteros, in any deal for Drew Rasmussen. The Athletics liked him when the two clubs briefly discussed Mason Miller.
It's not that Ballesteros is a top-10 prospect, globally, or anything. By most estimates, he's something like a top-50 guy. The buzz around him is more about the combination of floor and ceiling. The lefty batter will turn 22 in November. He hit .316/.385/.473 at Triple-A Iowa and .298/.394/.474 in his limited time with the big-league club this year; those are sensational numbers for any 21-year-old. He put up a lot of them while trying to cut the mustard as a catcher, notching 593 innings behind the plate in the minors. That's probably not his long-term role, but increasingly, it looks like he can hit enough to be a good player even if he's a first baseman and/or designated hitter.
Ballesteros has a really good swing. That was the key takeaway from his stint in Chicago, late in the campaign. His bat speed (72.7 miles per hour, on average, although in fewer than 100 competitive swings) is above average, and he does that with a short stroke that can handle the high fastball. He also showed the ability to turn on the ball and punish pitchers who miss with anything on the inner half, including hitting one home run in Pittsburgh in September that one simply can't hit if one doesn't have above-average power.
He has great feel for contact, especially within the strike zone, and he made progress even within the 2025 season in terms of not chasing outside the zone. Ballesteros looks like a good big-leaguer, and one who's ready to take over a full-time job in 2026. He's accumulated nearly 800 plate appearances with the Iowa Cubs; he doesn't need any more.
Defensively, it doesn't look like Ballesteros will clear the bar to stick at catcher—but it's worth noting that one of his shortcomings (below-average framing skills) will be mitigated by the implementation of the ABS challenge system. He could use another full season of catching in the minors, if that's the plan for his long-term defensive home, but the likelihood that he's ever a plus behind the plate is remote, and his bat is so far ahead of the mitt that holding it back any longer to draw toward that improbable straight would be to misplay the hand.
Thus, this winter, the Cubs will have to ponder trading him again. Interest in Ballesteros remains strong, and several of the teams to whom Jed Hoyer and Carter Hawkins spoke in July will be on the other end of the line again in November and December. They could move their young, budding slugger for the controllable pitching they so badly need, although Ballesteros alone won't command any of the players mentioned above, save perhaps Alcántara. It seems just as plausible, though, that they'll retain Ballesteros and promote him to a bigger gig for 2026. With Kyle Tucker likely to depart via free agency, Seiya Suzuki could be ticketed for a return to right field. That opens up the DH spot, and Ballesteros is a strong candidate to step into the breach.
Fans will, naturally, prefer it if the team makes a splashy free-agent addition to fill the lineup spot vacated by Tucker. There are several good options out there. The front office might lock in, however, on a lower-tier target who could enmesh themselves in the lineup on a more versatile basis. That could be Harrison Bader, Andrew McCutchen, Lane Thomas, Mitch Garver, Rhys Hoskins or Starling Marte. Any of those guys might sign relatively cheaply. Bader and Thomas could factor in as platoon partners for Pete Crow-Armstrong, if the Cubs decide Kevin Alcántara isn't ready for that responsibility. The others would be more like half-time DH candidates, but they'd each have other ways to filter into the lineup—spelling Michael Busch or Ian Happ, for instance, depending on which of the group they sign.
Integrating young hitters is always risky, but even teams with ample resources have to do it. The Cubs are no exception. They'll want to add a proven player who limits their exposure if Ballesteros struggles, but as the offseason looms, it looks more likely that they'll find a way to install him in their lineup next season than that they'll trade him, despite the demand for him on that market.
Recommended Comments
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now