Cubs players we've had to say goodbye to since the end of 2015

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During the golden era of Cubs baseball, we said, “goodbye” to many players.

Since 2015 a number of Chicago Cubs have left the North Side, some through trades, others through free agency. This isn’t an exhaustive list, and most aren’t even starters, but all made contributions, large and small. So here’s little Auld Lang Syne to those who once wore the Cubbie Blue.

Many fans were disappointed that the Cubs non-tendered Kyle Schwarber and Albert Almora. Both were first-round draft picks but never quite played consistently at the level expected of first-round picks. I am fairly certain though that had the National League decided to adopt the designated hitter that Schwarber might still be in the fold.

I wrote about the Cubs’ decision to decline Jon Lester’s option and his huge contribution to the team. He gave us his best years and gave fans the memories of a lifetime. Then he bought fans a beer as a final ‘farewell’ after the season ended.

Ben Zobrist wasn’t a high-profile guy like Javier Baez, a fixture like Anthony Rizzo or a young-up-and-comer like Schwarber. But his key hit in Game 7 of the 2016 World Series told you all you ever needed to know. When the chips were down and you needed a hit, Zobrist was the guy you wanted at the plate. His sudden departure for personal reasons left a large hole in the lineup.

(Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images) /

Cubs: Jake Arrieta was the Cy Young winner few saw coming

Jake Arrieta was hardly a household name when he came to the Cubs in the deal that sent pitcher Scott Feldman and catcher Steve Clevenger to Baltimore. He was an up-and-down struggling righty who looked lost and inconsistent. We know what happened after that, and I remind my son the Orioles fan about it, too.

You go; we go. Dexter Fowler was one of those players who makes the chemistry of a team happen. While not the star, he is the guy who provides the spark, pulls the team together, and is reliable and consistent. After 2016, three years of leadoff man roulette followed, and eventually, even Theo Epstein admitted that letting Fowler walk was a mistake.

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Mike Montgomery wasn’t the rock of the rotation like Lester. He was a long reliever with an eye on a rotation spot who couldn’t quite put it all together. He wasn’t the lockdown closer, but on that one November night in 2016, he was all the closer the Cubs needed.

Starlin Castro made his Cubs debut at age 20 in 2010. We’ll remember Castro for ghosting this throw to Rizzo and his 2015 Game 3 game-tying home run off the Cardinals Michael Wacha, part of a postseason record six homer outbreak. Castro was traded after the 2015 season to the Yankees for right-hander Adam Warren.

Jorge Soler was another part of that six homer slug-a-thon in 2015, taking the first pitch from Adam Wainwright and depositing it into the bleachers. In the first three games of the 2015 NLDS Soler went 4-for-4, with five walks, a single and a double, and two homers, driving in four runs, all without making an out. However, the oft-injured Soler would go hitless in 41 plate appearances during the 2016 postseason and would be traded to the Royals for closer Wade Davis.

Cubs: Things that made us wonder–like the helmet run

In 2015 Jonathan Herrera wasn’t in the core four, or a starter though did appear in 73 games off the bench. But perhaps his lasting contribution was the phenomena known as the helmet rub. It was revealed that he and Castro were the source of the goofiness that amused Cubs fans.

A group of relievers rounds out the list. Justin Grimm, Hector Rondon, Carl Edwards, Jr., Travis Wood and Pedro Strop all played key roles in the 2015 and 2016 seasons. Grimm, Edwards, Wood, and Strop were acquired in trades while Rondon was a Rule 5 pickup from the Indians and all came to the Cubs before the rebuild was complete.

Wood became a free agent after 2016, Rondon became a free agent after 2017, Grimm was released in 2018, Edwards was traded to the Padres in 2019, and Strop became a free agent after 2019.

Three honorable mentions end the list, Miguel Montero for his key role in 2016, and Nick Castellanos and Cole Hamels because they came to Chicago and were instant fan favorites.

Chicago Cubs: Five reasons the Cubs never became a dynasty. dark. Next

We are in the middle of yet another offseason of uncertainty about who will stay, who might be acquired, and most of all who might be gone by opening day. I have no doubt but that this list will grow by then.

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Cubs players we’ve had to say goodbye to since the end of 2015

During the golden era of Cubs baseball, we said, “goodbye” to many players.

Cubs: Jake Arrieta was the Cy Young winner few saw coming

More from Cubbies Crib

Cubs: Things that made us wonder–like the helmet run

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