The Chicago Cubs were the busiest team in baseball at the 2021 MLB trade deadline, shipping away fan favorites Kris Bryant, Javier Baez and Anthony Rizzo along with All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel in a 24-hour stretch.
While the faces of Chicago's 2016 World Series team make their way to new homes in San Francisco and New York, here are the names Cubs fans will need to learn as Jed Hoyer's rebuild begins on the North Side.
OF Pete Crow-Armstrong (acquired in Javier Baez trade with Mets)
Crow-Armstrong is a legit prospect, one of the better ones to move at the deadline in terms of upside. He was the Mets' first-round pick last year, so he's getting his first taste of professional action this summer. The sample size is tiny, but he has reached base in 18 of his first 32 plate appearances in Low-A. Baseball America describes him as a future Gold Glove-caliber defender in center field. ESPN's Kiley McDaniel ranked him sixth in the Mets' system before the season and picked him to be the organization's breakout prospect. -- Bradford Doolittle
Baez trade grades for both teams
2B Nick Madrigal and RHP Codi Heuer (acquired in Craig Kimbrel trade with White Sox)
Madrigal was hitting .305/.349/.425 before going down with a season-ending torn hamstring. Madrigal has his flaws -- he has little power, with just two home runs in 303 career major league at-bats, and doesn't walk much -- but his contact skills are so great that it's easy to continue projecting him as a consistent .300 hitter with solid on-base percentages. The defense was a little less than advertised this season, but he should still be at least an average second baseman moving forward. Most importantly, he's under team control through 2026.
Still just 25 years old, Heuer has potential as a hard-throwing reliever (he was great last season when he posted a 1.52 ERA, less great this season with a 5.12 ERA). -- David Schoenfield
Kimbrel trade grades for both teams
OF Alexander Canario and RHP Caleb Kilian (acquired in Kris Bryant trade with Giants)
Canario, 21, is the prospect to watch here, an outfielder hitting .235/.325/.433 at low-A San Jose with 79 strikeouts in 65 games. The tools are better than the numbers as he hasn't matched the hype and production from his 2019 stint in the minors, when he hit 16 home runs and 20 doubles in 59 games. The swing-and-miss is the big issue, but there is upside here.
Kilian was an eighth-round pick in 2019 out of Texas Tech and has pitched his way into Double-A after dominating high A in four starts to begin the season. At Double-A, he has a 2.43 ERA over 11 starts with 64 strikeouts, eight walks and two home runs in 63 innings. This is the kind of underrated prospect who can turn into a steal. He doesn't come with a blistering fastball, but hits 90-94 and throws strikes. We'll see how the stuff plays at the upper levels, but the early returns are good. -- Schoenfield
Bryant trade grades for both teams
RHP Alexander Vizcaino and OF Kevin Alcantara (acquired in Anthony Rizzo trade with Yankees)
Vizcaino, 24, is a right-hander who had some steam after a strong 2019, but he's still in Class A and has pitched just six innings in 2021. At his best, he pumps a mid-90s fastball and reached 100 mph back in 2019, with a plus-plus changeup as well. He just returned in July, however, working in short, one-inning stints for now. If healthy, there is clear upside here as a possible starter and at the minimum, as a bullpen guy.
Alcantara -- who just turned 19, is listed at 6-foot-6 and was a $1 million signing out of the Dominican Republic in 2018 -- is likely years away from the majors. He has played just 49 professional games, including eight in rookie ball, where he's 9-for-25 (.360) with a home run. His speed is a plus right now, so he projects as a possible center fielder, although there is room for him to fill out, which could necessitate a move to a corner outfield position. It's a total upside play and a worthy gamble for the Cubs, who have few high-ceiling prospects in the system. -- Schoenfield