MacKenzie Gore Trade Fallout Confirms Cubs’ Untouchable Prospect
If you ever wondered who the untouchable prospect in the Cubs minor league system really is, then the fallout from the MacKenzie Gore trade will confirm the answer. The left-handed starting pitcher has been on the trade block since the summer and the Washington Nationals finally agreed to a deal, sending Gore to the Texas Rangers for a package that includes five prospects earlier this week. Now, a Cubs insider revealed who the Nationals were asking for back in July, and why Jed Hoyer ultimately pivoted to a different direction.
The Cubs were active in the free agent market for a starting pitcher and reportedly still are, but the front office did jump at the opportunity to revisit talks with the Miami Marlins this offseason. Heading into 2025, the Cubs were interested in Jesus Luzardo, but that trade fell apart because of medicals. This time around the Cubs were comfortable with Edward Cabrera and sent outfield prospect Owen Caissie to headline the return for the Marlins.
Caissie, who ended 2025 as the Cubs’ top ranking prospect according to MLB Pipeline, was also part of the trade involving Luzardo last offseason before it was nixed. According to Bruce Levine, Caissie was also one of the names the Nationals were asking for back at the trade deadline in discussions for Gore.
Of course, no deal was ever made between the Cubs and Nationals for Gore, but it wasn’t because of Caissie. Duh, right? He was moved for Cabrera. It’s now pretty obvious why the Cubs didn’t make a huge splash at the trade deadline when it came to adding another arm for the starting rotation. It wasn’t because they didn’t want to trade Caissie it was because the Cubs want no business trading their top pitching prospect Jaxon Wiggins.
Although Wiggins was purposefully limited in 2025 by the Cubs’ organization there’s no denying his talent.
The right-handed pitcher was selected with the 68th overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft out of Arkansas. The Cubs have not rushed Wiggins’ development and in 2025, Wiggins put up great results with a 2.19 ERA in 78 innings of work. He recorded big strikeout numbers as he climbed up the team’s minor league system, ending the year with a promotion to Triple-A. Wiggins posted a 31.0 K% in 19 appearances and held opponents to a .160 batting average.
The 24-year-old could definitely be on the radar for the Cubs in 2026, and although Wiggins has a total of 137.2 innings in the minors he’s already considered one of the best right-handed pitching prospects in the game.
Wiggins may end up playing a major role in the Cubs’ starting rotation as soon as the 2027 season, considering the team has several veterans who may be headed elsewhere after this year. Shōta Imanaga and Jameson Taillon will be free agents following the 2026 season, while Matthew Boyd and Colin Rea could also become free agents if their options are not picked up.
The Cubs lost Kyle Tucker in free agency this offseason and next year Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki will be free agents, but despite that they didn’t really have a problem trading away their top outfield prospect in Caissie. That further cements Wiggins as their most untouchable prospect.