Chicago Cubs: Ten players you may have forgotten were once on the team

Chicago Cubs: Fred McGriff

First baseman Fred McGriff had a tremendous career that got a lot of Hall of Fame consideration. Unfortunately, he came up shy of 500 home runs, hitting 493, but he was a five-time All-Star who placed in MVP voting eight times. He also hit at least 30 home runs ten times and drove in at least 100 runs eight times.

McGriff played for several teams, one of them being the Atlanta Braves, with whom he won a World Series ring in 1995. He went to the expansion Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 1998 until 2001, when the Chicago Cubs were surprising the National League by hanging in contention. The team was looking for both a left-handed hitter to help Sammy Sosa and a first baseman. McGriff was the perfect fit.

However, McGriff, a Tampa native, had a no-trade clause and initially refused to accept the trade. For several days, the saga went on in the media as there was mounting pressure for McGriff to give in. He finally did, and he was great for the Cubs down the stretch, posting a .942 OPS in 49 games with 12 home runs and 41 RBIs. However, the Cubs faded down the stretch and didn’t make the playoffs.

McGriff stayed with the team in 2002 and quietly had an excellent year, hitting 30 home runs and driving in 103. McGriff then went to the Los Angeles Dodgers for the 2003 season before finishing up his career back with the Devil Rays in 2004.