Chicago Cubs: The lopsided Derrek Lee trade revisited 15 years later

On this day in 2003, Chicago Cubs general manager Jim Hendry traded for then-Florida Marlins first baseman Derrek Lee, who emerged as a force in Chicago.

This time 15 years ago, the Chicago Cubs had not forgotten their collapse in the NLCS the month prior. It loomed large in everyone’s minds – fans, players and front office personnel alike. Cubs general manager Jim Hendry was not going to let this window get away from him. Instead, he was going to work to improve the team for 2004. He turned to the team that beat the Cubs in the playoffs, the Florida Marlins to add more thump to the lineup.

On Nov. 25, 2003, the Cubs traded Hee-Seop Choi and Mike Nannini to the Marlins for first baseman Derrek Lee. The Marlins had just won the World Series, but they were dumping some salary and honestly this trade was an absolute steal for the Cubs.

When Lee started playing in 2004, some fans could not still help but see the man who wore a Marlins uniform the year before hitting the game-tying double in Game 6 of the NLCS. But time went on and the fans began to love him.

Lee was always a very solid player, but in Chicago, he molded into an All-Star and one of the National League’s most productive first baseman. But no matter what he did – and despite outstanding numbers as a Cub (.298/.378/.524 with 179 home runs and a .903 OPS from 2004 to mid-2010), he was always overshadowed by Albert Pujols.

It is also a shame that the Cubs were 0-6 in the postseason with him at first, despite him batting .435 in those six games. He still was loved by many Cubs fans and there are tons of great memories from his career.

Chicago Cubs: Could D-Lee have been even better for the Cubs?

After 2004-2005, there were expectations that Lee would continue to do what he did his first two years with the Chicago Cubs. I mean, he’d just turned 30 years old. Sadly 2006 happened. In April of that dreadful 96-loss season, Lee collided with Rafael Furcal and broke his wrist. He finished that year, playing just 50 games. A tough blow for a guy really hitting his prime.

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Then he came back in 2007 and slashed .317/.400/.513 with 22 home runs and 43 doubles in 150 games. This marked his second season voted to the All-Star Game and his third career Gold Glove Award.

The average and on-base numbers are very good, but the wrist took a toll on his home run power. Twenty-two homers certainly is not bad but a drop no less after averaging mid-30s from 2003 to 2005 . He then hit 20 home runs in a career-high 698 at-bats in 2008 and slugged .462, which was the lowest mark he had put up in years. It looked like the power was never going to fully return.

Then, 2009 happened – arguably his most productive season outside of 2005. He hit 35 home runs and slashed .306/.393/.579 with a career-high 111 RBI. His seven-RBI night against the Brewers at Wrigley was one of the highlights of that season. Lee was not an All-Star that year, probably because he did a lot of his damage in the second half (.336/.436/.656). Sadly like 2005, the 2009 campaign was forgettable and the beginning of the end of the Hendry era.

Chicago Cubs: Marking the end of his North Side tenure

Lee’s 2009 success did not follow him in 2010. In 109 games with the Cubs, he slashed .251/.335/.416 with 16 home runs, one of which was the 300th of his career. The Cubs traded him to the Braves for essentially a bag of balls and Subway coupons to dump some salary in August. Funny enough, he debuted at Wrigley Field as a Brave before a standing ovation. He went to the postseason and the Cubs were, once again, nowhere close.

Cubs fans saw Lee again as a Pirate in 2011 – and he killed them. In five games he hit three home runs (including a game-winning grand slam) and slashed .474/.500/.947. That would be his final year in the majors at age 35.

One cannot help but wonder what he would have done if he did not break his wrist. Regardless he was very good over six and a half seasons. It is hard to believe that Anthony Rizzo just passed him up in games played as a Cub in 2018, it felt like Lee was around longer than that.

Just for fun, here are the compared numbers:

Lee: 924 games – .298/.378/.524 -179 HR/.903 OPS – 2 Gold Gloves, 2 All-Star nods, Silver Slugger

Rizzo: 1012 games – .275/.372/.493 – 190 HR/.864 OPS – 2 Gold Gloves, 2 All-Star nods, Silver Slugger

All told, it’s clear – Derrek Lee remains underappreciated all these years later. But what a run he had as the leader of the Cubs infield at Wrigley Field.