The Chicago Cubs have had every resource they could ask for to maximize their farm system, and while they have had success stories over the past decade, their international scouting department has left much to be desired. So, why not get the guy who has been in charge of one of the most successful international scouting departments in MLB.
Steve Miller will now oversee the Cubs’ international scouting department after spending 13 seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays. Miller has led the department since 2019, serving as Tampa Bay’s director of international scouting. Before his time with the Rays, Miller spent seven seasons as a scout for the Toronto Blue Jays.
Francys Romero first reported on the Cubs’ new hiring earlier this week.
Development obviously plays a major role, so it’s not all about scouting, but this should give the Cubs a giant upgrade, considering how bad the organization has been at acquiring quality international talent.
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Bleacher Nation pointed out that out of the 34 Cubs prospects ranked by Fangraphs, only six were international free agents. But the bigger problem, and this goes back to the Theo Epstein days, has been the lack of pitching in the organization. Only one of those six international free agents is a pitcher, Jostin Florentino, who signed back in 2023 and is currently ranked 22nd on MLB Pipeline’s top-30 prospects list for the Cubs.
Meanwhile, the Rays had 62 prospects with a 35+ FV rating, compared to only 34 for the Cubs, and 19 of those 62 were international free agents, including five pitchers from that list of 19 international signees.
And we’re only talking about 2026 prospects here because the Rays have been pumping out talent from their international free-agent pool for several years, both directly from their own system and trading for impact players at a young age like Junior Caminero and Yandy Diaz.
By the way, the Cubs have had contributions from their IFAs; Javier Assad, Miguel Amaya, Daniel Palencia, and, most recently, Pedro Ramirez have all had varying success in the majors. The team also used Moises Ballesteros and Jefferson Rojas in two deals at the 2026 trade deadline.
However, the Cubs need to improve in this department, and hopefully, bringing in Miller will be a step in the right direction.
