This story was excerpted from Jordan Bastian’s Cubs Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- The rapid ascent of Moises Ballesteros continues. The Cubs landed the catcher for $1.2 million out of Venezuela in January 2021, and all he’s done ever since is hit. He reached Double-A Tennessee in 2023 as a 19-year-old, so expectations were high for the organization’s No. 4

Here are the top performers from the third week of AFL action:

Four Top 100 prospects and three other players ranked in their respective organizations' top 10 were named to Team USA’s roster for the third World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier12™ tournament presented by RAXUS, USA Baseball announced on Monday. The international tournament featuring the world’s 12 top-ranked teams will take

CHICAGO – Nico Hoerner has developed into a steady performer and clubhouse leader for the Cubs over the course of the past few seasons. That is expected to remain the case next year, even as the second baseman’s offseason has already hit a snag. On Monday, the Cubs announced that

CHICAGO – The Cubs have overhauled their farm over the past four years, creating one of baseball’s top systems via blockbuster trades, fast-moving Draft picks and international signings. While some prospects have graduated to Chicago already, more can be classified as coming soon. The top-heavy Minor League system has created

Here are the top performers from the second week of AFL action:

This roster moves and injury updates page will be updated throughout the offseason as news happens. Players currently on the 60-day injured list will need to be added back to the Cubs' 40-man roster after the conclusion of the World Series.

The 2024 Rawlings Gold Glove Award finalists were announced on Tuesday morning, with winners set to be unveiled on ESPN’s “Baseball Tonight” on Nov. 3 at 8:30 p.m. ET. Both leagues have three finalists at each position, including the utility spot, which was awarded for the first time in 2022.

It’s that time of year again: the announcement of the MLB Pipeline Hitting and Pitching Prospects of the Year for each organization. The group is led by our overall Hitting Prospect of the Year Kristian Campbell (Red Sox) and Pitching Prospect of the Year Quinn Mathews (Cardinals). They are two

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – The Cubs didn’t give Jonathon Long specific instructions after taking him in the ninth round of last year’s Draft. That was by design. The Long Beach State first baseman/third baseman was coming off his best collegiate season yet, hitting .312/.404/.600 with 15 homers in 55 games, but

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Moises Ballesteros is getting accustomed to playing on loaded teams. The Cubs catcher began 2024 at Double-A Tennessee, the lone club in the Minors with four Top 100 Prospects on its Opening Day roster: right-hander Cade Horton, infielder Matt Shaw, outfielder Kevin Alcántara and second baseman James

This story was excerpted from Jordan Bastian's Cubs Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

While we keep saying the game is getting younger and younger, there’s actually data to back up just how much of an impact rookies have had on the game. According to FanGraphs' calculations, 2024 rookie hitters amassed 60.7 WAR, third all-time in AL/NL history behind 2023 and 2015. And this

This story was excerpted from Jordan Bastian’s Cubs Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox. CHICAGO -- After two straight years of missing out on the October stage, the task ahead for the Cubs remains to take the next

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Moises Ballesteros can be found at the following address this autumn: Home Plate Valley of the Sun, Arizona MLB No. 44 overall prospect is making a residence at and behind the dish during his time in the Arizona Fall League, and as Ballesteros proved Sunday for Mesa

The Arizona Fall League is often called a showcase circuit or prospect graduating school – a place where the Minors’ top talents gather for six weeks in the Valley of the Sun to compete before putting their stamps on the Majors. But the six AFL rosters aren’t loaded with Top

There is a ton that goes into constructing an Arizona Fall League roster. Each AFL club receives prospects from five separate organizations, all with different needs and priorities. Some want their best prospects to spend time in the desert. Others primarily want formerly injured players to make up for lost

On Sept. 4, Shota Imanaga, Nate Pearson and Porter Hodge combined for the first no-hitter thrown by the Cubs at Wrigley Field in 52 years. Here is the story from that day.

Tune into the Arizona Fall League and the Dominican Winter League (LIDOM) to watch some of baseball's brightest young stars. You can see MLB's top prospects in action, with AFL matchups streaming for free on both MLB.com (here and on the AFL site) and MLB.TV. LIDOM games are included as

The month of October brings baseball fans the excitement of postseason play in the Majors and the dawn of a new Arizona Fall League campaign. The Surprise Saguaros and Mesa Solar Sox kicked off the 32nd season of AFL competition on Monday, pulling the curtain up on six weeks of

A version of this story ran during All-Star Week in July. It was updated as part of MLB.com’s Players’ Weekend coverage in August. Imanaga finished the season 15-3 with a 2.91 ERA in 29 starts in his rookie season for the Cubs.

On June 23 this season -- as part of the 40th anniversary celebration of The Ryne Sandberg Game -- the Cubs unveiled a statue outside Wrigley Field of the Hall-of-Fame second baseman. Here is the story from that afternoon.

This story was excerpted from Jordan Bastian’s Cubs Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.