Chicago Cubs: Trade grades for every move following a hectic deadline

After an emotional and active deadline, the Chicago Cubs have now opened the door on a new era. But did they set themselves up for future success with the moves they made?

The dust has finally settled on a turbulent and crazy deadline, and for the first time in what feels like an eternity, the Cubs were not sellers, but buyers. Many wondered if Chicago would extend even just one of the proverbial big three of Kris Bryant, Javier Baez and Anthony Rizzo, but we, unfortunately, got our answer as all three were shipped off before the July 30 deadline.

A group of players that ushered in the greatest era in the history Cubs baseball was dismantled and sent packing in an attempt to try and lay the foundation for another era of success for the future.

While every Cubs fan surely has thousands of thoughts about what is occurring within the team right now, what’s done is done. The organization has turned the page and are entering a new chapter without so many fan favorites. There will be plenty of time going forward to debate whether these moves were warranted or not in the future, but now that they’ve been made, did they at least get good value back?

Chicago Cubs open selling by shipping left fielder Joc Pederson down to Atlanta

The Cubs opened their fire sale well before the deadline when they shipped Joc Pederson off to Atlanta for power-hitting first baseman Bryce Ball. Pederson had some memorable moments in Chicago but was rather inconsistent, as well. He was slashing .230/.300/.418 at the time of the trade, and considering he was certainly not in the team’s long-term plans, he was a prime trade candidate.

The Cubs opted not to wait around and made a move before the All-Star Break was even over. Bryce Ball, who I actually wrote about the Cubs potentially acquiring before, is a prototypical three true outcome player, with eye-popping 70-grade raw power (20-80 scale) according to Fangraphs, and great plate discipline. Fangraphs rates Ball as the Cubs’ 24th best prospect, and while his numbers aren’t very good at the moment, it’s good to exercise patience for the time being.

Fangraphs gives Ball an FV of 40+, but that could change over time. Ball has the potential to grow into a potential platoon first baseman or a power bat off the bench. Either way, Ball is overall a solid haul for a rental platoon left fielder in Pederson.

Grade: B

Chicago Cubs cashed in on the dominance of Andrew Chafin in the late innings

After acquiring Andrew Chafin at the 2020 deadline, the Cubs were able to get a dominant season from the lefty for virtually all of 2021. Chafin became as reliable as a relief pitcher could get, faltering very few times, and quickly becoming a fan favorite. The mustachioed lefty was a vital part of what became a three-headed monster at the back end of the Cubs bullpen and became a coveted trade target of just about every contender at the deadline.

The Cubs found a trade partner in the Oakland A’s and got quite an appealing haul. The Cubs received 26-year-old Greg Deichmann and 21-year-old starter Daniel Palencia. Deichmann is a very well-rounded hitter that has great power, discipline, and a decent hit tool. He has fantastic numbers in the minors this year and should be in Chicago next year. Palencia is more of a lottery ticket, but with a high-90’s fastball and a good curveball, there’s some development that could be done there.

Chafin was a fun player and character to watch this season, but Jed Hoyer was able to get fantastic value for the lefty. Deichmann and Palencia each have solid 40+ FV ratings which means they could both turn into everyday contributors to the team in the future. Losing Chafin is a shame, but the return more than makes up for it.

Grade: A

Chicago Cubs: Ryan Tepera heads to the South Side ahead of the deadline

Even after a season in which Ryan Tepera received an MVP vote, no one could’ve envisioned the veteran being anything more than a decent middle reliever this season. But Tepera broke out this season, cutting his walk rate in half and becoming one of the most reliable arms out of the bullpen. Tepera looked a tad shakier toward the end of his Cubs tenure after returning from an injury, but they were still able to ship him off for prospect Bailey Horn.

Horn, 23, is a left-handed starting pitcher that was picked in the fifth round of the 2020 draft. Horn has a good mid-90’s fastball with a plus slider, so there’s room to develop, but that’s about all to write home about. Horn has solid strikeout numbers, but he walks a good amount of batters and has been hit hard so far this year as well. There are good pitches to work with, but there’s a lot to be done.

Overall this trade was one of the more underwhelming ones for the Cubs. Tepera had slipped a bit lately, but it felt like they could’ve gotten a bit more for him. Horn has just 35+ FV as of now, and while he’s got good pitches to work with, it’s not the best return the Cubs got at the deadline.

Grade: C

Chicago Cubs manage to extract value from Craig Kimbrel’s contract in the end

The first move the Cubs made on deadline day was to move their highly sought-after closer to the crosstown White Sox, making him the second reliever in as many days traded there. Craig Kimbrel was perhaps the best trade chip on the market and it’s not hard to see why. In the last guaranteed year of his deal, Kimbrel had a ridiculous 0.49 ERA, 15.7 K/9, and just 3.2 BB/9 which created a massive bidding war between almost every contender. 

Hoyer obviously had his choice of offers, but instead of going for a package of prospects, he opted for a more interesting return. Nick Madrigal is almost a carbon copy of Nico Hoerner, as he’s an elite contact hitter with virtually no power and not much of a penchant for drawing walks, which flies in the face of a typical hitter in today’s game.

Madrigal was the White Sox everyday second baseman before getting injured and he’ll likely take that same spot when he’s back, moving Hoerner over to shortstop. There’s nothing wrong with a contact hitter as your headliner per se, especially if he can keep up his .305 pace, but it’s certainly interesting.

Not to be forgotten, Codi Heuer has struggled in the majors this year, but has fantastic pitches to work with, and could be a future candidate for the closer role on the northside. Overall, it’s an interesting return for Kimbrel. Madrigal and Heuer could wind being good for a long time, but with the number of teams in on Kimbrel, it felt like the Cubs should’ve gotten a tad more.

Grade: B-

Chicago Cubs go all-in on sell-off, send Javier Baez to the New York Mets

Perhaps the most surprising deal of the day, Javier Baez became the second core member traded away. Baez had been linked to the Mets before due to Francisco Lindor’s injury, but it was hard to see the Cubs getting anything of real value as Baez had struggled through a lot of the year. But, in combination with Trevor Williams (who hasn’t been great either),  the Cubs landed a very intriguing prospect in outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong.

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Crow-Armstrong was the 18th overall pick by the Mets in 2020 and is just 19 years old. Crow-Armstong has absolutely elite fielding potential, great speed, and plus contact potential as well. Crow-Armstrong likely won’t have great power in his bat, but with the amount of power already in the Cubs’ system, this is a perfectly fine prospect to try and develop.

The hangup with him is that there have always been questions about his bat, but he was absolutely raking in A-ball before tearing his labrum. It’ll be vital for the Cubs to make sure he comes off his injury and continues to make positive strides.

Overall this deal is an absolute win for the Cubs. Baez was rightfully beloved in Chicago, but he was struggling this year, and getting a valuable prospect like Crow-Armstrong in return is a huge plus for Hoyer. It’s tough to see Javy go, but at least his final moment in Chicago was quintessential Javy.

Grade: A-

Chicago Cubs: The Jake Marisnick trade got lost in all the chaos on Friday

While the MLB world was fixated on the massive Kris Bryant trade, the Cubs made another deal that sent Jake Marisnick to San Diego. While Marisnick is certainly a solid player, certainly no one could’ve seen him netting the kind of return they got.

In return for Marisnick, the Cubs got right-hander Anderson Espinoza, the Padres number eight prospect according to Fangraphs. At 23 years old, Espinoza has an FV of 40+, and with three plus pitches to work with, there’s some serious development the Cubs can do with him. Espinoza has had Tommy John surgery twice in his career, but has rebounded from both, and is still a strikeout machine.

Marisnick is a great defender and a decent enough hitter, but this was another great move by Hoyer. Getting any sort of value for Marisnick was a win, but getting a team’s top 10 prospect to add to a suddenly stacked farm of your own is a massive win.

Grade: A+

Chicago Cubs: Kris Bryant was the last man standing – until he wasn’t

The final blow to the iconic group of players came just a few minutes before the deadline. Bryant had been the one player most people thought would for sure be gone, and after having a bounceback year, many thought he’d get a nice haul for the Cubs. Ironically enough, however, Bryant might’ve gotten the least value back.

This isn’t a horrible return for Bryant, though it was cheapened by an untrue report that the Cubs would be getting catcher Joey Bart in the deal. Alexander Canario is just 21 and has good power and is an all-around solid hitter that Fangraphs rates as the Cubs’ 14th best prospect and gives an FV of 45 too. Caleb Kilian, meanwhile, is the Cubs’ 16th-best prospect according to MLB Pipeline and has four decent pitches and great minor league statistics this year.

Canario and Kilian are both solid prospects, and it’s better that the Cubs got something for Bryant rather than letting him walk, but it’s hard not to feel underwhelmed by this deal. The team had a great deadline for the most part, but this was certainly one of their weaker deals for one of, if not, the best player on the team.

Grade: C-

Watching all of these franchise icons leave in such a short period of time has left everyone in shock and sorrow, and it truly is a shame it had to happen. But in the long run, if the Cubs truly weren’t going to extend them, trading them was absolutely the right call and the Cubs put themselves in a much better position for the future. The trade deadline was the ending of a truly special chapter in Cubs history, but hopefully, it’s the start of another that’s just as special.