Were the 2025 Cubs a success, a failure, or somewhere in between? The answer will depend on who you ask. It can't sit well with Cubs fans to finish second in your division and lose a close playoff series to your rivals up the road in Milwaukee. Especially when you made the big trade to acquire Kyle Tucker during the offseason and then did very little to help a clear weakness of their team, the pitching.
It wasn't so much that the Cubs lacked depth; as a team, they finished top 10 in MLB in ERA, but they lacked the top-end talent necessary to advance deep into the playoffs. It's no fault of arms like Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga, or Jameson Taillon; they all pitched well for long stretches during the season, but in a short playoff series, you need that ace to carry you when the bats go silent. The price for pitching at the deadline was clearly too much for the Cubs to give up on some of their future assets, many of whom are ready to contribute at the highest level.
Even with the likely departure of Kyle Tucker, this lineup remains one of the best in the league, with room to get even better. The offense does lack a superstar-type player; however, they are very good at nearly every position. Pete Crow-Armstrong is about as close to a superstar as they have, with his elite defense and power/speed skills on offense. His MVP-like first half regressed sharply (.847 OPS in first half, .634 OPS in second half) into a nearly unplayable fantasy option. His aggressive approach will always be volatile, but it was about as polar-opposite as you can get.
Michael Busch is exactly who the Cubs thought they were getting, a slugging first baseman who drives in runs, and he should be able to carry on with big-time production as he enters his age-28 season. Nico Hoerner and Dansby Swanson form a strong double-play tandem while providing solid fantasy value as well. Matt Shaw rounds out the infield, and while he didn't perform as many expected, his skill set and pedigree point to a 20-20 bat in the near future.
The outfield is a strength of this team, and bookending PCA are two profiles who are the antithesis of the Cubs centerfielder. Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki provide safety and stability for the Cubs and your dynasty rosters with power, speed, and solid average/OBPs. The catching position was given a jolt with Chicago-native Carson Kelly's career year. His 17 HR lengthened the Cubs lineup, making it incredibly difficult to navigate for opposing pitchers.
The pitching staff is solid while unremarkable. Boyd, Imanaga, and Taillon are all reliable pitchers who can give you 5-6 innings and keep your team in the game. They are the type of pitcher you need on your team (real life and fantasy) to get you through a long season. Cade Horton might be the upside arm they are looking for; he was one of the best pitchers in baseball down the stretch. Can his stuff produce high amounts of strikeouts at the highest level? The bullpen is anchored by Daniel Palencia and his triple-digit heater. Palencia really came into his own in 2025, thanks to tremendous gains in his control. Will the gains stick? Relievers are volatile; time will give us the answer. Phil Maton and Hunter Harvey should be next in line for saves if Palencia struggles.
The Cubs possess one of the best farm systems in the game, and a large amount of their top-tier talent is in the upper minors. If Kyle Tucker does sign elsewhere, Owen Caissie and Kevin Alcantara are waiting in the wings to assume his vacated role. They are both dynamic offensive players who could be MLB regulars. Moises Ballesteros is another MLB-ready hitter who just needs a position to call home; whether he can become an adequate MLB backstop remains to be seen. Infielders James Triantos and Jefferson Rojas are also simmering in the upper minors, awaiting their opportunity to contribute. Will it be with the Cubs? Jonathan Long is a slugging corner infield bat who posted a 131 wRC+ at Triple-A this season. Two selections from this summer's amateur draft, Ethan Conrad and Kane Kepley, also infuse offensive talent into this system. The standalone arm in the Cubs' minors is Jaxon Wiggins. He's also near-ready to contribute and might stand aside Horton at the top of the Cubs' rotation when the dust settles.
As tough as it is to be a Cubs fan, they have a lot of talent and should contend for years to come, all while providing impressive dynasty values up and down the roster.
Since making his pro debut in 2021, Ballesteros has posted a wRC+ of at least 100 every year, and his short stint in the big leagues in 2025 was no different. Although it was just 66 plate appearances, he slashed .298/.394/.474 (143 wRC+) for the Cubs, and it’s backed up by his Triple-A performance, where he slashed .316/.385/.473 (121 wRC+) in 114 games in 2025. The main questions about Ballesteros as a prospect are related to his defense and whether or not he can stick at catcher, but that doesn’t matter too much for fantasy purposes. He’s worked hard on his defense, and the Cubs appear willing to give him enough reps where he’ll keep catcher eligibility (at least to start), and perhaps be a catcher long-term if his defensive metrics are good enough. Ballesteros was sheltered from lefties in 2025, so it’s possible he will be platooned in 2026, but his bat will play as the strong side of the platoon if he receives playing time at DH, C, and 1B.
Ethan Conrad
Conrad was taken by the Cubs in the first round with the 17th overall pick in the 2025 draft, and even though he has yet to make his professional debut, he’s already receiving lots of buzz and is currently inside the top 100 at Prospects Live, sitting at 88th overall in our most recent update. He was stellar in an injury-shortened season at Wake Forest, slashing .372/.495/.744 (167 wRC+) with 7 home runs and 4 stolen bases in 21 games. Ever since Jed Hoyer joined the Cubs front office, the team has had a strong track record of drafting college bats, with first-round picks including Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber, Ian Happ, Nico Hoerner, and, most recently, Matt Shaw and Cam Smith. Conrad is next in line and could be yet another quick riser through the minor league ranks.
Dynasty Sells
Matthew Boyd
Boyd had a standout year in 2025, pitching to a 3.21 ERA and a 3.65 FIP in 179.2 innings, earning All-Star honors in the process. Due to durability and injury issues, the innings figure was the most he’s pitched since 2019; from 2020 to 2024, his highest innings total was 78.2 IP (2021). The recent inexperience pitching deep into a season showed up on the stat sheet: he posted a 2.34 ERA (3.22 FIP) in the first half and a 4.63 ERA (4.34 FIP) in the second half. Boyd is not a big strikeout guy either, posting a 21.4% strikeout rate on the year (23.2% in the first half to 18.7% in the second half). Overall, Boyd had a great 2025, and 2026 could yield similar results with a strong Cubs defense and a pitcher-friendly park in Wrigley Field. His injury history, second-half fade, and the fact that he’ll be 35 should give dynasty owners pause to go all in.
Miguel Amaya
Amaya was primed to be the everyday catcher for the Cubs in 2025, but multiple injuries, along with a breakout season from Carson Kelly, limited Amaya to just 28 games on the year. Although Amaya was great in those 28 games (.281/.314/.500 and 124 wRC+), the small sample performance was fortunate, as he overperformed his .294 xwOBA by a whopping 52 points. Now that Kelly has solidified himself as a solid offensive catcher with better defensive numbers, and Moises Ballesteros’ high-floor bat with upside is now in the big leagues, Amaya has been squeezed out of the lineup and relegated to backup catching duties. There’s still a shot he can be the starting catcher again, but that may prove to be difficult since he’s fallen to third on the catching depth chart.
Top Fantasy Prospects
Players are in order of their fantasy prospect ranking from our September end of season list.
The bat is legit here; Ballesteros makes excellent quality of contact—and a lot of it. In Triple-A, he posted an 86% in-zone contact rate and a 45% hard-hit rate. Digging deeper, Ballesteros didn’t run a whiff rate higher than 25% against any pitch type, and he did this as a 21-year-old against competition more than 5 years older. In the near future, Ballesteros could settle into a DH role, and yes, that would ding his overall value, but the consistency of the offensive production would still make him worthwhile. He could flirt with a .300 average in his peak years, with the power ticking up as he gets older. A realistic outcome is a .290 hitter with 20-25 home runs hitting in the middle of a strong Cubs lineup, with the counting stats to match. The big-time upside scenario is that he sticks at catcher often enough to retain eligibility and puts up those kinds of numbers. In that case, the batting average and power might dip slightly due to the physical demands of the position, but he’d project as a top-five catcher. - Tom Gates
There is no question about Owen Caissie’s power. The 6’3 lefty belted 22 home runs in just 99 games at Triple-A in 2025, earning his first taste of the big leagues, where he showcased a max EV of 114.0 MPH and a barrel rate of 13.3%. Unfortunately, the questions about whether he’d be able to make sufficient contact in the big leagues seemed well-founded as he chased 10% more pitches than league average, struck out 40% of the time, and saw his in-zone contact rate drop significantly from his Triple-A numbers. Caissie has little left to prove in the minors, but the Cubs have no clear path to playing time for him. Caissie won’t displace Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, or Pete Crow-Armstrong in 2026, which leaves him battling for a 4th outfielder spot or at-bats at DH to begin the season. This presents a nice buy-low opportunity for dynasty managers willing to wait for 2027 when both Happ and Suzuki become free agents. If he can make just a little bit more contact in the big leagues, Caissie profiles as a 25+ home run, middle-of-the-order bat in Chicago. - David Gofman
Long John Silver–Slugger; he can flat-out hit! In Triple-A this year, Long showed above-average exit velocities, a plus eye, and excellent contact rates while also handling a wide array of pitches. The main thing holding Long back right now is defensive fit. He played mostly first base in 2025, so the dream of him sticking at the hot corner is probably over, though he did log some time in left field. The current roster situation in Chicago is crowded, but in dynasty formats, that matters less since we’re playing the long game. This is a bat you want on your roster; Long should eventually force his way into a lineup, even if it isn’t in Chicago. He profiles as a high-floor hitter with a strong batting average and likely 20–30 home run power. This isn’t the next Nick Kurtz, but he should be a very dependable offensive piece. - Tom Gates
As Director of Pro Scouting, I lead a talented group of evaluators as we break down future stars. You can find me at random California League games throughout the season!
A Giants fan living in San Diego, been playing fantasy baseball since 2005 and dynasty since 2021. Started the Dynasty Baseball Pickups podcast in June 2023 and joined Prospects Live in March of 2024.
Dynasty player of 10+ years. Helping you find the building blocks of your championship rosters as a co-host on the Dynasty Baseball Pickups podcast since mid-season 2023, joined Prospects Live at the start of 2024.
Director of Dynasty Content - Canadian born and raised, moved to Arkansas with my wife and two sons Ezra and Ari. Followed and played baseball my whole life; played dynasty for 25+ years.
