The Cubs took a major hit at the 2026 trade deadline when they dealt Jefferson Rojas, a move that landed with real force because he had been viewed as the organization’s top prospect. President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer sent the rising shortstop to the Mets in exchange for two rentals, Clay Holmes and Tyrone Taylor.
That trade hurt on paper, but the Cubs have at least gotten immediate production back. Holmes has looked like the staff ace over the past month, turning in a 1.55 ERA across his first five starts with Chicago. Taylor has been just as loud at the plate, putting up a 1.027 OPS and 186 wRC+ in his first 52 plate appearances with the club.
Even so, giving up Rojas after years of development was a tough pill to swallow. The easiest way to make that sting a little less? Another shortstop prospect starts climbing the ladder.
Angel Cepeda is doing exactly that with the South Bend Cubs, and he’s beginning to force his way into top prospect chatter. Like Rojas, Cepeda is an international player from the Dominican Republic, and he is about six months younger than the former Cubs farmhand.
Cepeda spent his first two seasons after signing in the Dominican Summer League in 2023 and the Complex League in 2024. Last year, he finally got a full-season look and made the most of it.
At 19, he hit .249/.339/.375 with a 116 wRC+ in Low-A, added eight home runs and 27 steals over 100 games, and finished strong in Myrtle Beach. Over his final 132 plate appearances there, he posted a 157 wRC+ with 12 extra-base hits.
That performance built some real buzz heading into 2026, and Cepeda has backed it up. In 65 games at High-A, he has improved his walk rate, trimmed his strikeouts and shown more power than he did at the level below. The stolen bases have slowed, but a 112 wRC+ from a 20-year-old middle infielder in the Midwest League still stands out.
He’s also followed the same pattern he showed a year ago: the longer he’s had to settle in, the better he’s hit. Since August 1, Cepeda has launched eight of his 12 home runs this season and posted a .899 OPS. If he keeps finishing this way, Double-A Knoxville could be next in 2027.
That said, Cepeda isn’t being handed the title of the next great Cubs shortstop prospect. There are still others in the system working their way up, including Juan Tomas, Fernando Cruz and Johan Geraldo.
In Other News...
Cubs Face One Offseason Decision That Could Reshape Their Rotation
The Cubs are heading into an offseason where the fine print matters nearly as much as the roster itself, with a long list of options attached to key arms and a few other familiar names. Matthew Boyd, Carson Kelly, Caleb Thielbar, Hunter Harvey, Colin Rea, Javier Assad, Jacob Webb and Clay Holmes all sit somewhere in that decision tree for 2027, and as is usually the case, mutual options are expected to be a tough sell on both sides. Some club options could be declined, others retained, and the front office will have to balance short-term stability against the desire to keep room open for what comes next.
Clay Holmes, though, is the name that could end up shaping the rotation conversation the most. The expectation is that he will decline his player option and explore free agency, which would put the Cubs in position to chase a pitcher they already know fits what they need. If that plays out, it could turn one of these offseason housekeeping moves into a real priority and, depending on how the market breaks, a decision that echoes well beyond a single winter. [Read more 🡒]
Cubs Seem Ready To Reverse A Javier Assad Decision
Javier Assad is back with the Cubs and in position to factor into this weekends series against the Marlins, a notable development after his time with Triple-A Iowa. Chicago has not yet announced its starters for Saturday or Sunday, and Assad is eligible to be recalled, which opens the door for him to take one of those turns if the club decides to go that route.
The roster picture is still fluid, though, with the Cubs weighing potential pitching moves involving Jacob Webb and Tyler Ferguson. No official decisions have been announced, so Assads presence feels like a strong hint rather than a finished answer, with the teams weekend rotation plans still hanging in the balance. [Read more 🡒]
Cubs May Already Know Which Productive Veterans Wont Be Back
As the Cubs try to stay in the middle of a pennant race, the front office is already staring at a familiar offseason puzzle: which useful veterans fit the next version of the roster and which ones are likely to move on. Matthew Boyd, Carson Kelly and Tyrone Taylor have all given Chicago something real this year, but each one comes with a different kind of question as the market and the clubs own roster plans start to take shape.
Boyds late-season drop-off has made his return less certain, even after the value he provided earlier. Kelly has been productive enough that he could draw a price the Cubs are unwilling to meet once free agency opens, while Taylors impact has been strong but limited enough that he may be the odd man out if Chicago decides to prioritize other needs. It is the kind of early read on the offseason that often says as much about where a team is headed as it does about who is leaving. [Read more 🡒]