Chicago Cubs: Evaluating recent trades and how the Cubs fared

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(Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

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.

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