Chicago Cubs: Trades that went our way

Apr 21, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; A general view of umbrellas left in the stands behind the visitor

Not all trades have gone the Chicago Cubs way.  All you have to do is bring up the name Lou Brock and you’ll get the reaction of angry Cubs fans.  It seems that with that one trade, all Chicago Cub haters forget about all the trades that the Cubs have come out smelling like roses on.  In any trade, there is a purpose behind it.  Cutting payroll, rebuilding with prospects, or trying to make a run for the post season.  But with any trade, there are risks – especially when involving younger players that have yet to develop.

It’s hard to really put the full blame on any general manager for making a trade that backfires on them.  Usually, it is because one of those reasons listed above.  They have to make a trade and they are left with that feeling of there is no choice but to say yes.  Sometimes they win big, some times they break even and it works out for both teams.  But sometimes they lose big.  Well, here is a slide show of some of the those trades that worked out for the Chicago Cubs in the past 30 years.

Enjoy the show, please leave comments below. Weigh in on what you think were the good ones that were not listed. Or comment on the ones listed and what you liked about them – I’d love to hear from you all and discuss any and all of your opinions.

Next: Thanks for the Hall of Famer

Mar 31, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; MLB practice baseballs sit on the field before the opening day baseball game between the Chicago Cubs and the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Chicago Cubs trade George Bell to the Chicago White Sox for Sammy Sosa and Ken Patterson

George Bell signed with the Chicago Cubs in 1991 who was with the Toronto Blue Jays.  Bell, a former MVP while with Toronto was known for his power.  Bell was coming off a couple of down season but was a bat that the Cubs thought they could use.  In Bell’s first (only) season with the Cubs, Bell posted a stat line of .285 batting average, 25 home runs, and 86 runs batted in.  Not a bad payoff for your investment.

Now why Cubs new general manager Larry Himes wanted to trade Bell, that I do not know.  Maybe he knew something the rest of us didn’t.  One thing Himes did know from his days with the other Chicago team, the White Sox was they had a player he traded for before and wanted again.  While Himes was the general manager with the White Sox, he had traded with the Texas Rangers for a young outfielder by the name of Sammy Sosa.

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The Cubs and White Sox came to an agreement on a trade, George Bell for Sammy Sosa and Ken Patterson.  Bell would go on and play two more season’s with the White Sox  having a combined stat line of a .240 batting average, 38  home runs, and 176 runs batted in.  The White Sox ending up benching Bell while the team was in the 1993 ALCS.  Bell would retire after the season.

We know how Sosa’s career went.  Slamming Sammy was one of the most popular and polarizing players to ever wear a Cubs uniform.  Hitting 545 home runs while in a Cubs uniform, he was set for a place in Cooperstown and to have his number retired for sure.  But scandals would tarnish all of that.  Between the corked bat and the steroid allegations, Sosa would be all but erased from the Cubs organization.

I was as big of a Sosa fan as any – and I wish all of this didn’t happen but it did and we cannot forget that.  With the scandals aside, Sosa did deliver more than Bell did.  And considering the White Sox never were able to do much with Bell as a main piece of their team, the winner has to be the Cubs in this trade.  Maybe not by as much as it should have been – but still, a clear win for the North side of Chicago.

Next: Stealing gold from the Bucs

Jul 30, 2014; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Milwaukee Brewers third baseman

(16) in the dugout against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Chicago Cubs trade Jose Hernandez, Bobby Hill, and Matt Bruback to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Aramis Ramirez, Kenny Lofton, and cash considerations.

Okay, so when you look up trades that went completely one-sided, this one may be listed.  The Cubs were pushing for the playoffs in 2003 and they needed to make a trade to make their team a contender.  They went calling to Pittsburgh to inquire about center fielder and lead-off hitter, Kenny Lofton.  Corey Patterson was lost to injury so the void left needed to be filled.  Lofton fit that void perfectly.

Once considered the premier lead off hitter in all of baseball, Lofton, while in the later stages of his career was still a dangerous player on both sides of the field.  The Cubs would also wind up getting what would later be the crown jewel of the trade in Aramis Ramirez.  A young power hitting third baseman, Ramirez had an outstanding season in 2001 with Pittsburgh – his first full season as a major league player.  Ramirez went from batting .300, with 34 home runs and 112 runs batted in to .234, 18 home runs, 71 runs batted in with his 2002 campaign.

The possible reason for the drop was the fact that Ramirez was injured and was playing with an bad ankle through the 2002 season.  In 2003, Ramirez started to come back to form. Before the trade, Ramirez had a .280 batting average with 12 home runs, 67 runs batted in.  Maybe the Pirates were more scared away by his fielding than the off-year in 2002 – it’s hard to say.

The Pirates wanted to move Lofton who was declining at his age. He was on a one year contract that I’m sure they were not going to resign.  Back in those days, the Pirates would stock pile prospects, so it was no surprise they were interesting in making a deal.  The Pirates were willing to move Lofton and Ramirez for the right players and the Cubs seemed to have what they wanted at the time. Those players were Matt Bruback, Jose Hernandez, and later would add in Bobby Hill to complete the trade.

Bruback was a 6’5″ right-handed pitching prospect with the Cubs.  Bruback while in the Cubs minor league system, had limited success but the Pirates must have seen something in him to accept him in the trade.  Hernandez was kind of the odd ball of the trade. While the Pirates usually went for prospects, Hernandez was anything but that.  At 33 years old, Hernandez offered versatility position wise, couldn’t offer anything anymore in his career with a bat. Before the trade, Hernandez was only batting .188 with 2 home runs, and 9 runs batted in.  I can only think that the Cubs said he had to be in the trade to dump his salary.

Hill, the player-to-be-named-later, was a highly regarded prospect when the Cubs drafted him in the second round of the 2000 draft.  He did have the most success out of the three players traded to the Pirates, that being .267 batting average, 2 home runs, and 38 runs batted in, in his 185 games with the Pirates.

The Cubs would go on to the NLCS to come within outs of going to the world series, something that may not have happened without Lofton or Ramirez who played very well down the stretch.  While Lofton would leave the Cubs after the post season, Ramirez would call Chicago his home for the next nine years.  He would finally be the third baseman the Cubs organization was looking for since Ron Santo left the Cubs back in 1973.  Ramirez would compile a stat line of .294 batting average, 239 home runs, 806 runs batted in, along with three all-star game appearances.

It doesn’t get much more one-sided than that.

Next: It's Lee for me

Sep 14, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Chicago Cubs batting helmet sits on the dugout rail before the Cubs play the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Cubs trade Hee-Seop Choi and minor league player Mike Nannini to the Florida Marlins for Derrek Lee.

This is another one of those trades that make you wonder why? Why would the Florida Marlins, defending world series champions trade their star first baseman? Did they know something no one else knew? If they thought they did, they were wrong – very wrong.  With trading Lee to the Cubs, the Marlins would get a return of Hee-Seop Choi and a minor league pitcher named Mike Nannini.

Choi was thought of as being one of the top prospects with the Cubs.  Choi made his Cubs debut in 2002 near the end of the season.  Choi would start the season as the Cubs opening day first baseman but would only play in 80 regular season games.  Choi would miss time that season due to an injury after a collision with Kerry Wood. Choi would be unable to take the starting job away from veteran first baseman Eric Karros.  Choi had a lot of potential and I guess that is what Florida liked about him.

Mike Nannini was originally with the Houston Astros – drafted by Houston in the first round of the 1998 draft. While having some success in the minors, Nannini would never make it to the majors.

Derrek Lee would go on to have a great career with the Cubs.  Providing the Cubs with a gold glove first baseman, a veteran leader, and a strong bat in the middle of the order.  Lee’s best season with the Cubs in 2005, saw Lee come close to the triple crown but did lead the National League in batting average with a .335 average.  Lee would also lead the Cubs to two straight division titles.

While the Marlins had hoped they would eventually get the better end of the trade with Choi’s potential, it would never be.  The Marlins would eventually take apart their former championship team and Choi would find himself apart of that rebuild when he was traded to the Dodgers after just one season with Florida.

Again, this trade shows, sometimes its better to stay with what you know instead of the potential of a new prize.

Next: Fo' Shizzo - its Rizzo

Sep 15, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs first baseman

celebrates after hitting a walk-off solo home run against the Cincinnati Reds during the ninth inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

Cubs trade Andrew Cashner and minor leaguer Kyung-Min Na to the San Diego Padres for Anthony Rizzo and minor leaguer Zach Cates

Well, this one some may say is too soon to say this is a Cubs win.  So far, I’m sure you’d at least agree it is a win for the Chicago Cubs. While Rizzo has turned himself into one of the best first baseman in the National League, an all-star, and now the leader of one of the most talked about up-and-coming teams; Cashner has been unable to stay healthy.  Cashner has shown signs of being a quality pitcher with the Padres, having three complete game shutouts in the last two seasons combined with a very good 3.06 earned run average.

Sep 15, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Andrew Cashner (34) pitches during the ninth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Not much can be added with this trade analysis with Kyung-Min Na and Zach Cates.  Kyung-Min Na was released by the Padres in 2013.  Cates has stayed in the lower minor league levels with the talk that he will probably be no more than an arm out of the bullpen.  I guess you could say right now, the Cubs have the slight edge on that part.

In the short view that we’ve had, it’s clear Rizzo is the better player.  He is a corner-stone of the Cubs rebuilding plan.  Having a young, powerful first baseman that you can say is locked up to your team for many years and has only gotten better each year, you’ll take that any day. Rizzo has taken on the leadership role of this young team.  He has improved in all aspects of his game.

Being a pull-hitter, the shifts were forcing him to either hit the ball out of the park or change his swing.  Rizzo decided to take what the defense was giving him and started bunting and slapping the ball down the third base line. Rizzo has now forced the defenses to play him honest.

While Cashner may very well get himself healthy and be able to play consistently, I have a hard time seeing him ever being more than a number three, maybe a two pitcher in their rotation. Not that there is anything wrong with that either, but all-star first basemen who are as young as Rizzo who is only getting better, those are the players you build a championship franchise around.  The Cubs have been doing just that.