Cubs Reportedly 'All-In,' Willing to Trade Top Prospects at Deadline Amid MLB Rumors

The Chicago Cubs sit in first place in the NL Central, but they reportedly won't be satisfied without some postseason success this year.

While answering a fan question, The Athletic's Jim Bowden reported, "I get the impression the Cubs are 'all-in' to win this year" and added that they "will trade" top prospects Owen Caissie or Kevin Alcántara "if that lands them the right pitcher(s)."

Caissie and Alcántara are both outfielders and are ranked No. 1 and No. 4, respectively, in Chicago's prospect rankings, per MLB.com. Both of them are playing for the Cubs' Triple-A team in Iowa, with Caissie hitting .282 with 18 home runs and 41 RBI and Alcántara hitting .267 with 11 homers and 47 RBI.

Despite appearing to have bright futures in MLB and their call-ups seemingly imminent, the pair could be used to bring a bigger star to Chicago. As Bowden noted, "Caissie's name in particular has come up a lot in my conversations and texts with front office execs in both leagues."

At 54-37, the Cubs hold a 2.5-game lead for the top spot in the NL Central. Chicago has the best run differential in the majors at +119, with the Detroit Tigers (+112) and New York Yankees (+102) as the only other teams with positive differentials in triple digits.

Still, there's a lot of room for improvement for the Cubs, particularly with their pitching staff. They rank 27th in the majors with 679 strikeouts and are tied for 21st with just 21 saves this year. Adding another reliable starter or a quality reliever would significantly boost Chicago's chances to make some noise in the playoffs.

The Cubs are hoping to make their first postseason appearance since 2020, so they could be a team to watch as the July 31 trade deadline draws nearer.