Grading the Chicago Cubs pre-trade deadline moves

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Jul 30, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Chicago Cubs first baseman

Anthony Rizzo

(44) celebrates with center fielder

Dexter Fowler

(24) after hitting a 3-run homer in the eighth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. The Cubs won 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

How well did the Cubs do at the deadline? We grade out the moves and the overall result on the roster


The 2015 MLB trade deadline has come and gone, and the Chicago Cubs made two minor moves to help solidify a roster that continues to fight for a playoff spot this season. Although the Cubs failed to make the earth-shattering acquisition that many fans wanted, their two moves on Friday addressed critical roster issues while preserving most of the teams’ young talent. This was exactly what they needed.

The following slideshow provides grades for the Chicago Cubs two major pre-trade deadline moves as well as an overarching grade that evaluates the current state of the organization.

Cubs Trade Minor League Prospects for Pitcher Dan Haren

Jul 19, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Dan Haren (15) reacts after allowing a home run during the second inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

On Friday afternoon, ESPN writer Jesse Rogers reported that the Chicago Cubs traded for Miami Marlins starting pitcher Dan Haren and cash considerations in exchange for minor league prospects Ivan Pineyro and Elliot Soto.

Haren is a 13 year MLB veteran that has a 3.42 ERA and a 7-7 record across 21 starts this season.

Analysis:

The Chicago Cubs entered this week knowing that they needed to trade for a starting pitcher that could solidify the back-end of their rotation. They accomplished this goal with the signing of Dan Haren. He is a veteran pitcher that has been in the playoffs twice in his career and isn’t afraid of the big moment when it comes to pitching in the postseason or down the stretch in tight playoff races. Additionally, according to ESPN stats and info, Haren is the only pitcher besides Mark Buehrle to start at least 30 games in each of  the last ten seasons.Haren has averaged 6 1/3 innings of work per start. This reliability and workhorse production is important for a Cubs team that needs a quality arm to eat up innings at the back-end of the rotation. Additionally, the acquisition of Haren ends the carousel of pitchers that has rotated at the back-end of the rotation this season. Collectively, the five pitchers (Wood,Wada, Richard,Beeler, Roach) that have filled the five-spot in the rotation this season, have an average ERA of 6.81. Haren is better than this.

The best part about Haren is that he is free. The Los Angeles Dodgers are paying the rest of his $10 million salary this season. Although he becomes an unrestricted free agent after this season, he is worth the rental because he is free.

As with any pitcher, Haren has his weaknesses. He is susceptible to giving up the long ball, surrendering 21 home runs in 129 innings of work this season. In addition, he pitches to contact only averaging 6.1 strikeouts per nine innings. This is potentially problematic for a Chicago Cubs defense that ranks number sixth in the Majors in total errors with 69.

Another important element to consider when evaluating this trade is the prospects that the Chicago Cubs gave up to get Haren.

Ivan Pineyro

The 23-year-old prospect played for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate this season before the recent trade. In 19 games, he has a 7-5 record to go along with a 3.69 ERA and 1.248 WHIP. Despite these decent numbers, Pineyro’s chances of getting called up to the Cubs in the foreseeable future were unlikely. In their 2015 rankings, MLB.com didn’t include Pineyro in its list of the Cubs top 30 prospects. Overall, the Cubs had three pitchers among their top ten rated prospects making Pineyro expendable.

Elliot Soto

Soto was expendable because of his position. The middle infielder faced an uphill battle in his quest to climb the rungs of the Cubs organizational ladder because of the logjam that this team has at these positions within their system. Starlin Castro, Addison Russell and Javier Baez are all 25 years old or younger and play the middle infield positions. In addition, in the aforementioned Cubs prospect rankings, Gleyber Torres is the second ranked prospect and also happens to play shortstop.

Grade: B

It wasn’t a blockbuster trade, but the Cubs filled a need without giving up any of their top prospects.

Next: Rating Lake for Hunter

Cubs Trade Junior Lake for Tommy Hunter

Jul 11, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher

Tommy Hunter

(29) pitches during the seventh inning against the Washington Nationals at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Washington won 7-4. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Shortly before the 4 PM Eastern trade deadline expired, CBS Sports writer Jon Heyman reported that the Chicago Cubs had traded minor league outfielder Junior Lake for Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Tommy Hunter.

Tommy Hunter is an eight-year MLB veteran with a career ERA of 4.28. This season, he has a 3.63 ERA and a 1.164 WHIP to go along with a 2-2 record.

In 193 Major League games with the Chicago Cubs, Lake slashed .241/.283/.380. After beginning the season in the Majors, the Cubs sent him down to Triple-A Iowa where he slashed .315/.404/.472 in 58 games with this minor league affiliate.

Analysis:

The last time the Chicago Cubs traded with the Baltimore Orioles, the former landed Jake Arrieta and Pedro Strop. The Cubs front office hopes that they have struck trade deadline gold this time as well.

Hunter will help solidify a bullpen that has been up and down this season. The news of another injury to Neil Ramirez coupled with the recent struggles of the back-end of the bullpen made adding another arm a necessary move. At the worse, Hunter is another player that can shoulder the workload. He is a power pitcher with a mid-90s fastball that he throws on the upper part of the zone to get hitters out. He is a prototypical late-game reliever because of his arm strength, however; the way the Cubs ultimately choose to use him will come down to a decision by Manager Joe Maddon and pitching coach Chris Bosio.

The Chicago Cubs did give up Triple-A prospect Junior Lake in this deal. Bleacher Report writer Jared Dwyer ranked Junior Lake as the Chicago Cubs tenth best prospect in 2013. When put in perspective, the loss of Lake isn’t a huge deal. He was a solid prospect and may still have untapped potential, however; he wasn’t one of the Cubs absolutely best young players. If trading away Lake is the sacrifice that the Chicago Cubs had to make to keep players like Russell, Baez, Kyle Schwarber, Jorge Soler and Castro that is a good tradeoff.

Grade: C+

Another impact move that filled a need. Hunter isn’t the most reliable reliever, however; he is another arm in a bullpen that needs some help.

Next: Overall Grade

What does it all mean?

Aug 1, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Tommy Hunter (21) celebrates with catcher

Kyle Schwarber

(12) after picking up a save to help the Cubs beat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-1 at Miller Park. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Cubs front office confirmed their confidence in what the current roster can do now and into the future with the moves that they made before the 2015 MLB Trade Deadline. The Chicago Cubs addressed their most pressing needs without sacrificing the core of the valuable young talent that they have in their current lineup and in their farm system.

As the playoff race continues to heat up, it is up to the young players to continue to grow so they can learn how to carry this team to a postseason birth. The existing makeup of this roster will make the Cubs competitive for years to come. There is no time like the present for these young players to learn how win a playoff race.

Overall Grade: B+

It is quite simple actually. The Chicago Cubs filled needs without selling out. These moves weren’t blockbusters, however; down the stretch they could make all the difference.

Next: Cubs acquire Tommy Hunter for Junior Lake

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