Chicago Cubs: Evaluating recent trades and how the Cubs fared

Over the last several years, the Chicago Cubs made their fair share of trades. Here’s a look at some of the more significant trades and how the Cubs fared.

Have you ever watched a Chicago Cubs game and wondered, how did they get that player? Well, a lot of times, it was a player acquired through a trade. It’s time to evaluate some of the recent trades the Cubs made. Did the Cubs win the trade? Where are the guys now? Some of these trades were during the Theo Epstein era, but we will even dive into a few trades during Jim Hendry’s time as well.

While Hendry was known for his flashy pickups during the trade era, it was Epstein’s ability to score the best deals in his trades. We’ll take a look at some of the deals that have impacted the Cubs last season, as well as the current year.

Building for the future

Many may remember the haul that the Cubs gave up to get Matt Garza. Several years later, the Cubs traded him to the Rangers and got four prospects in return. Let’s look at this deal and see if the Cubs won the trade or not.

In July 2013, the Cubs traded pitcher Matt Garza to the Rangers for Mike Olt, Justin Grimm, Carl Edwards and Neil Ramirez. At the time, Mike Olt was the prized prospect the Cubs were receiving.  However, that did not turn out so well.

At the time of the trade, Garza was having an excellent year. In 11 starts, Garza was 6-1 with a 3.17 ERA, his best numbers as a Cub. 2013 was an abysmal year for the Cubs. In the midst of a rebuild, they traded him away, and it’s looking like the right decision.

Since leaving the Cubs, Garza, 33, has never been able to find his footing. He was just so-so with the Rangers that year before Brewers signed him to a four-year deal. As a Brewer, Garza has dealt with a lot of injuries and ineffectiveness. He is having a better season this year, despite more injuries, but the Cubs are better off without him.

In the end, Grimm and Edwards ended up being the prizes of that trade. It’s no secret what Edwards has been able to do for the Cubs and looks to have a bright future ahead of him. He just needs to cut down on his walks. Grimm has had an up and down career with the Cubs. Currently, at Triple-A, he has shown flashes of brilliance. But hasn’t been able to fully regroup after a posting a 1.99 ERA in 2015.

Neil Ramirez showed a lot promise, sporting a 100mph fastball. His first season with the Cubs was near perfect, as he posted a 1.44 ERA in 43 2/3 innings. However, his career was also derailed by injuries. At just 28, he can still salvage his career, but he needs to remain healthy and prove he can be effective again.

Mike Olt, 28, was never able to get it going. He had a ton of power (12 home runs in 225 at-bats) in his first season with the Cubs but has a career .168 batting average. He spent one season on the South Side after leaving the Cubs and wasn’t able to do much. He’s been out of baseball since 2015.

Verdict: Slightly Cubs.

The Rangers didn’t win this trade as they let Garza go the next year and never won the World Series. While all four pieces didn’t work out for the Cubs, Edwards and Grimm helped the team to a championship, thus making this trade a win for the Cubs.

A solid Cubs’ career

The Cubs made a bold move in December 2014, trading for Miguel Montero, a former All-Star catcher with the Diamondbacks for two pitching prospects.

This deal made sense at the time. Montero was a two-time All-Star with Arizona, and the Cubs needed an everyday catcher. In the midst of a six-year contract, the Cubs were getting Montero for three more years. They did, however, have to give up two pitching prospects, Zack Godley and Jeferson Mejia.

Montero was never able to gain All-Star form with the Cubs but did put together a solid Cubs career. He had power and would draw walks but never hit for average. Fans a love-hate relationship with Montero. He did hit a huge grand slam in Game 1 of the NLCS and drove in the deciding run in Game 7 of the World Series, but Montero was far from a good clubhouse guy. Not afraid to speak his mind and throw teammates under the bus, Montero was traded by the Cubs a few months ago. His defensive skills behind the plate were diminishing at age 33, and the Cubs had enough of his antics.

The Cubs probably wish they had Godley back. At just 27, Godley is hitting his stride this season with the Diamondbacks. In 15 starts, he is 5-4 with a 2.86 ERA and just tossed seven shutout innings against the Cubs on Wednesday. For a team that needs pitching next season, Godley is under control until 2023. Something the Cubs would love to have.

Now with Oakland, Mejia is just 22 and has yet to crack the big leagues. He hasn’t had much success in his minor league career, going 14-14 with a 4.64 ERA in 80 games and 23 starts. Being so young, he has a lot of time to develop still though.

Verdict: Slightly Diamondbacks

Pinpointing this one is hard. I would give a slight advantage to the Diamondbacks on this one. While Montero helped the Cubs to a World Series championship, the Cubs lost two pitching prospects. They definitely would love to have Godley back now, which makes this trade hard to pinpoint. Cubs are better off without Montero too.

You go, we go

Most people probably forget that the Cubs traded to get Dexter Fowler. In January 2015, the Cubs sent pitcher Dan Straily and infielder Luis Valbuena to Houston in exchange for one year of Dexter Fowler.

No matter which way you break it down, the Cubs won this trade by a landslide. After slashing .250/.346/.411 in 156 games with the Cubs in 2015, Fowler resigned with the team in 2016 and had an All-Star season. Fowler hit a leadoff home run in Game 7 of the World Series and provided the “You go, we go” pop at the top of the Cubs lineup. He was the perfect leadoff hitter and did exactly what the Cubs wanted him to do. He signed a five year deal with the rival Cardinals in the offseason but hasn’t been able to replicate that same success.

Valbuena, 31, had a few good years for the Cubs. He never hit for average (a career .229 hitter) but did have pop and drew a lot of walks. He was the Cubs primary third baseman until Kris Bryant arrived. Valbuena did hit a career high 25 home runs with the Astros in 2015, but I think the Cubs much rather have Bryant over Valbuena. Valbuena is now with the Angels and is hitting just .190 in 70 games.

Straily, 28, is a bit of a different case. He was not good with Houston despite making just three starts but has but together back to back successful seasons with Cincinnati and Miami. With a team like the Cubs needing pitching, he would not be a bad option for the back of the rotation, but it was worth it to give him up for Fowler

Verdict: CUBS

Cubs win this trade easily. Neither player is with Houston anymore, and the Cubs are fine without either player they gave up. Fowler got the Cubs a championship.

Catcher of the future?

At the trade deadline of 2014, the Cubs pulled off a trade that could go into the books as one of the best trades.

The Cubs sent Emilio Bonifacio and James Russell to the Braves for Victor Caratini. This is another trade that seems like a no brainer for the Cubs. Bonifacio, 32, had a great year with the Cubs, slashing .278/.318/.373 in 69 games with 12 steals. But the Cubs were rebuilding, and he never got back to form after leaving the Cubs. A career .256 hitter, Bonifacio never hit higher than .211 since leaving the Cubs.

Russell, 31, spent his entire career with the Cubs before being traded to Atlanta. He was mostly successful and had success with the Braves too (2.22 ERA in 22 games). His career 4.03 ERA with the Cubs was solid. Russell only pitched four innings with the Phillies last year and was not good. He has not pitched in the big leagues this year.

Caratini, 23, got his first cup of coffee with the Cubs this season. The Cubs top catching prospect and one of their top prospects in the entire organization. Caratini still needs to refine his defensive catching abilities but has a lot of pop in his bat and could be a good battery mate with Contreras for years to come.

Next: Bullpen has been mostly reliable

Verdict: CUBS

This trade and the Strop-Arrieta for Feldman and Clevenger could go down as the best trades in Cubs history.

That’s a quick look at some of the Cubs recent trades. As you can see, they have fared pretty well over the years and hopefully some of the recent trades they just made this season will be wins for the Cubs as well.