Jun 19, 2012; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs center fielder Tony Campana (1) makes a catch against the Chicago White Sox during the seventh inning at US Cellular Field. The Cubs defeat the White Sox 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

Tony is no longer a Cub. He’ll be missed by all… except me, because really, Tony didn’t fit in to the long term plans and the Cubs got a meaty return on investment for him.

How meaty? Two young pitching prospects by the name of Erick Leal and Jesus Castillo, who both show promise in their young careers. It also shows the front office’s commitment to improving the farm’s pitching overall, and these two fit the bill.

Of course, there has been some serious outrage from Cubs’ fans on the social media channels, and some of these comments are just hilarious (others borderline stupid.) It’s best to ignore a lot of these comments because I’m certain that a lot of these fans have no idea what DFA-ing is, let alone that Tony couldn’t hit very well.

The true genius lies in how this deal went down. Both Leal and Castillo were international signings, which means that the Diamondbacks spent some of their international pool cash on signing these two players. The Cubs swooped in and acquired both of them for Tony, a player who is best used as a utility bench guy and didn’t fit the long term goals without spending a dime of their own international pool.

Crafty move, Mr. Epstein.

Don’t get me wrong, Campana was loved by almost all his team mates and played the game with heart and soul. I loved watching Campana, but putting the needs of the team ahead of fandom takes precedence. It just made good sense to make this deal instead of waiving him, having him claimed, and then getting zero value from his DFA.

May 12, 2012; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Chicago Cubs center fielder Tony Campana (1) during the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

There is no denying the advantage speed brings to a ball club’s offense, especially one like that of the Cubs which otherwise lacks any regular stolen base threats outside of Starlin Castro. But unfortunately for both Campana and the Cubs, the Italian speedster just didn’t hit and get on base enough to maximize his base stealing speed. However, considering the time it has taken the team’s front office to officially make a move to add Hairston, even Campana’s inability to hit at the Major League level so far seems to indicate that letting him loose was not an easy decision.

As for Hairston, the timing of the roster move makes sense, as the free agent signing would be best suited to come to camp on time and get acquainted with his new club and teammates. The veteran outfielder plans to be penciled in as the platoon partner in right field to the left handed Nate Schierholtz.

For those of you really devastated by the release of Campana, there is the chance that he clears waivers like fellow recent DFA player Lendy Castillo, and makes a return to the Cubs organization outside of the 40 man roster.

Cubs fans may recall that Hairston’s brother Jerry spent parts of two seasons on the North Side as well. The younger Hairston, like Jerry, has the ability to play the outfield as well as second base. Unlike the older brother, Scott features more pop compared to the average conscious Jerry.

If Scott can get into 130 plus games per season, it is not out of reason to see him put up 15 plus homer and 50 plus RBI numbers. Known to kill left handed pitching, Cubs fans can think of Hairston as as the outfield version of Jeff Baker but with more power. The former Met appears to be the perfect compliment to the left handed Nate Schierholtz as a right field platoon pairing. Hairston could also spell the left handed David DeJesus or even veteran Alfonso Soriano in left field, the outfield position Hairston has seen the most action at.

The signing also poses roster questions, as the Cubs are already maxed out on the 40 man roster. Those of you who follow the team and Cubbies Crib closely will already know that the North Siders have the signing of Carlos Villanueva in a holding partner because of the roster issue. The Hairston deal would put the team two over the limit.

Unless the front office has a trade brewing (a realistic possibility given the tight lipped nature of Theo Epstein and Company), the odd man out in the Cubs outfield would have to be Tony Campana. We may also get a better idea of just where Dave Sappelt stands in the eyes of Epstein and Jed Hoyer, considering the former Red is also a right handed hitting OF. While the veteran Hairston is certainly just a temporary solution for outfield depth, Sappelt currently figures to have the lower ceiling when compared to a Brett Jackson, Matt Szczur, or Jorge Soler.

Oct. 3, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; New York Mets left fielder Scott Hairston (12) at bat against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park. The Mets won 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

We are sure to find out the actual roster moves over the next few days, but in the mean time, Cubs fans with Hairston jerseys from Jerry’s time in Chicago will be able to pull them out of the back of the closest or attic and dust them off for 2013.