Some of the Chicago Cubs best and worst moves at the trade deadline

Chicago Cubs miss out on cornerstone third baseman Donaldson

In 2008 the Cubs made a big push to go for it. They had the best record in the National League and wanted to solidify their starting rotation with Rich Harden, one of the best arms on the market.

Initially, it worked and it made sense. Harden made 12 starts for the Cubs and pitched extremely well. He went 5-1 and posted a 1.77 ERA in the second half. However, the Cubs fell flat and were swept by the Dodgers in three games in the NLDS.

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The Cubs got another year of Harden in 2009 but he wasn’t nearly as effective. He made 26 starts, going 9-9 with a 4.09 ERA. The Cubs failed to make the playoffs that year and Harden walked away at the end of the season.

So to that point, while Harden pitched relatively well, even though the Cubs didn’t win anything, the trade looked like a success. But then in 2013 Josh Donaldson played his first full season in the big leagues and he burst onto the scene.

In his first season with the A’s, Donaldson hit 24 home runs and drove in 93 RBIs while finishing fourth in the AL MVP voting. Two years later as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays, Donaldson took home the MVP when he hit a career-high 41 home runs while driving in a league-leading 123 RBIs.

Donaldson has been a three-time All-Star and has won two Silver Slugger awards over his nine-year career. Injuries have affected him and slowed him down a bit over the years but he looks to be healthy again this season, smashing 24 home runs with the Braves.

Ultimately, the Cubs didn’t end up winning anything, including this trade. Donaldson turned out to be a superstar third baseman while the Cubs failed to cash in and win anything with Harden. We’ll always have to wonder what it would have looked like if Donaldson had played the hot-corner for the Cubs.