Chicago Cubs: Remembering the worst performances of the decade

Chicago Cubs: Ian Stewart in 2012

As the Chicago Cubs began their rebuild under Theo Epstein after the 2011 season, they decided not to bring back long-time third baseman Aramis Ramirez. Hoping to find a cheap alternative, the Cubs traded for Ian Stewart from the Colorado Rockies in the Tyler Colvin trade mentioned above. Stewart wasn’t good with the Rockies in 2011 but had a few decent seasons before then.

Well, Stewart’s time with the Cubs was a disaster. In 55 games in 2012, the left-handed hitter batted just .201 with five home runs before missing much of the season due to injury. The Cubs re-signed him for 2013, but as he was in the minors he was critical of the team on social media. He was eventually released and briefly played for the Los Angeles Angels in 2014.

Chicago Cubs: Chris Volstad in 2012

As mentioned above, the Chicago Cubs were in full rebuild mode in 2012 and were mainly just looking for bodies who could fill the major league roster. To that end, the Cubs traded Carlos Zambrano to the Miami Marlins prior to the 2012 season and in return received right-hander Chris Volstad, who had a few decent seasons with the Marlins.

From 2009 to 2011, Volstad pitched 499 2/3 innings in 88 starts, putting up a respectable 4.88 ERA. There was reason to believe he could at least give them some quality innings in 2012, but it ended up being the worst season of his career to that point: Volstad’s ERA swelled up to 6.31 in 21 starts.

Volstad has since been in and out of the majors, bouncing around to a few different teams and last appearing in the majors with the Chicago White Sox in 2018.