The Cubs Have “No Plans” to Promote Top Prospects This Week

By: Jacob Zanolla

The Cubs were officially eliminated from playoff contention on Saturday, marking the fourth straight season since reaching the postseason. With hopes of a successful season gone, many fans have started to wonder what the incentive is to watch these final six games of the season. The Cubs travel to Philadelphia for three games against the Phillies, followed by a quick home stand to finish up the season against the Cincinnati Reds.

Sunday was the last day of minor league baseball for Cubs affiliates, with the Tennessee Smokies getting eliminated on Friday night in game 3 of the Southern League Division Series. We had been lead to believe that someone like Owen Caissie would be promoted in early September, but that didn’t happen due to the lack of at-bats available if he had been called up. An argument could have been made last week to bring Caissie up, giving him two weeks of time in the big leagues before the season is over. Now, with one week left, there is little hope that Caissie will receive a promotion.

Patrick Mooney addressed the prospect situation on Monday, saying “Prospects can wait until next year.” He also quotes Craig Counsell as saying “There’s no plans for that right now” in regard to promoting Kevin Alcantara or Owen Caissie. This decision is not only surprising, but it’s somewhat disappointing from a fan perspective. There isn’t much motivation to watch the final week of games, but a top prospect debuting certainly would have helped the viewership numbers.

In 127 games with the Iowa Cubs, Caissie hit 19 home runs, with a .848 OPS and .195 ISO. He’s proven that the offense is there, and his defense has been extremely noticeable as of late as well. Whether it’s tracking down fly balls, or using his strong arm to throw runners out, the tools are there for him to be a very solid major league player. As of right now, Caissie is not on the 40-man roster. He will be added before the Rule 5 Draft this winter, so adding him now doesn’t make much of a difference. Someone like Matt Shaw doesn’t have to be added, so promoting him for a few games doesn’t make much sense.

Pete Crow-Armstrong was called up in September of 2023, and didn’t record a single hit. However, he has talked about how valuable that time was with the major league club, even if he didn’t have any success right away. Being around the big league players, watching their routines, and getting accustomed to the majors was very helpful to him, and it’s shown as he has broken out over the last few months offensively. This promotion should have happened a week ago, but it’s still not too late to give him a small cup of tea in the show.

One reason they might not give him the promotion is because of the possible trade that may be coming this winter, and not wanting him to do poorly after such a strong campaign in Triple-A. Unless something drastic changes over the next few days, it looks like Cubs fans will be waiting another few months before seeing one of the top prospects at Wrigley Field.

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