3 players the Cubs could have traded for Jacob deGrom in 2018

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There’s no doubt this has been the Golden Era of Chicago Cubs baseball. It’s the greatest stretch of success fans have ever seen for this group, but if things don’t change the franchise is going to head in different direction fairly soon. It’s hindsight, but there were many chances for the front office and ownership to sustain a perennial contender, one of them being a trade for Mets ace Jacob deGrom.

You might recall when these rumors surfaced in 2018, a year the Cubs were coming off three-straight NLCS appearances and still atop the NL Central trying to fight off the Brewers who made some offseason additions (Christian Yelich and Lorenzo Cain) which took them to a new competitive level.

Jacob deGrom would have changed a lot of things for the Cubs in 2018.

That was a time the Cubs had one of MLB’s best offenses. They finished that season top 10 in the Majors for runs scored (761- ninth), batting average (.258 – fourth), on-base percentage (.333), and OPS (.744 – tenth). Hitting wasn’t a problem, it was pitching, and the Cubs needed another solid arm in their rotation.

They had plenty of assets to shake things up, but back then the Cubs had a ‘loyalty’ former general manager and current team president Jed Hoyer cited with the core group of players.

“We’ve shown that we’re really loyal to this core group for a reason,” Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer said before the 2018 All-Star break. “They’ve earned that loyalty over 3½ seasons. Our focus is on supplementing that group.”

Talk about things that didn’t age well.

Regardless, that 2018 season the Cubs brought in Yu Darvish, who struggled before getting shut down due to injury. The team was arguably one dominant arm away from playing in the postseason and beyond. They did get Cole Hamels at the deadline who proved to be a great addition for the next one and a half seasons, but they left more on the table in terms of shaking up the roster for the future.

Enter Jacob deGrom.

At the time of these rumors (mid-July 2018), the Cubs were sitting in first place and looking to continue their competitive run. Meanwhile, the Mets were dead last in the NL East and starting a retool, and their biggest asset was starter Jacob deGrom.

DeGrom posted another All-Star season, and would eventually go on to win the NL CY Young with a 1.70 ERA, 0.912 WHIP, and 11.2 K/9. If his numbers alone didn’t speak to his value, his team-friendly contract drove his stock through the roof. The right-hander had a $7.4 million salary in 2018 and deGrom was arbitration eligible for the next two seasons.

On July 19, 2018, ESPN’s Jesse Rogers was one of many who reported the Cubs-Mets rumors involving deGrom. Rogers discussed with executives and scouts around the majors what it would take to make a trade happen.

The Cubs dropped the ball by not trading these three players for Jacob deGrom

Many of the personnel believed a trio of Addison Russell, Ian Happ, and Mike Montgomery would be the ideal package for New York. Throw in whatever top prospects were still around at that time and that’s a done deal.

“Two of those three could start to get it done,” one National League scout said.

I guess maybe you can understand the Cubs’ hesitation given their offensive success up to that point, but if this is all accurate as many sites reported at the time, they dropped the ball big time. We know how much the Ricketts family doesn’t like paying players prematurely, so maybe deGrom’s looming payday (five years, $137.5 million) was part of the decision to pass on the move.

Whatever the reasons were, this was just another example of the imperfect decisions the Cubs have made to sustain a dynasty. They’ve failed at making these kind of moves, while teams like the Dodgers have thrived and remain committed to winning no matter the costs.

What’s more frustrating about all of this, if true, is how each of these players involved in the rumor have produced since 2018. Two of the three are no longer with the Cubs, and the one who still is has struggled mightily this season.

Cubs: There’s been underwhelming performances for these players since 2018

Through July 19, 2018, former Cubs infielder Addison Russell was slashing .272/.344./393/ and was a key piece to a successful offense. It was thought he’d be a middle infielder for the future of the franchise, but that quickly changed with his performances on and off the field. In the following months a report came out about Russell’s involvement in domestic violence and it was all bad news from there.

His numbers dipped to end 2018 (.250 BA, .657 OPS) and he was suspended through the first month of the following season. Even when he returned in 2019, Russell wasn’t the same and he finished with a career-low .237 batting average in 82 games. The Cubs cut ties with Russell during that offseason and since then he’s played in the Korean Baseball Organization in 2020, and will play in the Mexican League this season.

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The man who was on the mound for the final out in 2016, Mike Montgomery, was always solid with the Cubs since joining the team during that World Series year. In four seasons in Chicago, he was used mostly out of the bullpen and posted a 3.74 ERA, 1.331 WHIP, and 4.34 FIP. The reliever usage got tiresome for Montgomery who wanted to go back to his days as a starter. He would get his wish and was traded to the Royals in 2019 for catcher Martin Maldonado.

These days Montgomery is still in Kansas City, where he’s started in one of his three outings this season and currently has a 5.06 ERA and 1.313 WHIP through 5 1/3 innings pitched.

That brings us to Ian Happ who is still with the Cubs. Happ’s always been a highly touted player for his switch-hitting abilities and tools as an outfielder. That’s part of the reason he’s still with the team now and why he would have been the center piece in this deal for deGrom.

“Happ is the guy scouts like,” one executive said in July 2018. “He’s a switch-hitter with athleticism. No one knows what he’ll be, but he can start now on a lot of teams.”

Since then, Happ has posted a career .241 batting average and .802 OPS in five MLB seasons. He’s currently in one of the worst stretches of his career, slashing .135/.297/.176 with one home run and one RBI in 92 plate appearances.

Maybe there’s still potential with Happ, but I think many would trade whatever his future holds for what deGrom is doing right now.

Since 2018, deGrom has won two CY Young awards and only seems to be getting better with age. The 33-year-old has a 0.51 ERA, 0.571 WHIP, and is leading the majors with a 15.2 K/9 through 35 innings this season.

His Statcast metrics are also off the charts, as he’s even throwing harder than he has at any point in his career, averaging 98.9 MPH on his four-seem fastball (MLB leader).

xBA (.150) Top 3%
xSLG (.273) Top 9%
xOBA (.187) Top 5%
xwOBA (.199) Top 2%

There’s no better pitcher on the planet right now, no matter how you choose to assess him.

dark. Next. Former Cubs closer Hector Rondon retires

Could he have been a Cub?

Maybe, but it’s just another scenario where we’ll always wonder what could have been.

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Cubs: 3 players the team could have traded for Jacob deGrom in 2018

Jacob deGrom would have changed a lot of things for the Cubs in 2018.

The Cubs dropped the ball by not trading these three players for Jacob deGrom

Cubs: There’s been underwhelming performances for these players since 2018

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