Chicago Cubs: Theo Epstein’s made few mistakes in Chicago

Cubs trade LeMahieu, Colvin to Rockies for Stewart, Weathers

I’ll be the first to admit that what hurt me about this trade was losing Tyler Colvin. After surprising everyone and making the Opening Day roster with a strong spring, Colvin did well in his rookie campaign. But things came crashing down for him in September when he was hit with a broken bat as he was running, ending his season. After a 20 home run season, Colvin never seems to find his way again at the plate.

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DJ LeMahieu was a scrappy infielder that many didn’t see as having a promising path to the majors. Whoever came up with that scouting report can set that on fire. This is one of the many downfalls of trading prospects. You just can’t know how they’ll develop. At the time, there was nowhere for LeMahieu to play on the Cubs infield (generally speaking). It was Blake DeWitt who had that job. I know, I had forgotten about him, too. Since 2014, LeMahieu is a Gold Glove winner, and All-Star and an NL batting champ. But clearly, the deal worked out for the Cubs, right? Nope.

In return, the Cubs acquired third baseman, Ian Stewart. Stewart was a player that struck out a great deal (27.9% K-rate at that time), but showed potential power. He came off of a dreadful 2011 season in which he hit .156 and failed to homer even once. But the Cubs saw his 53 home runs in the previous three seasons as a reason to take a shot at Stewart. The Cubs would release Stewart in June after a horrendous stint in Chicago. At least Epstein had the good sense to part ways with Stewart when he did.