Chicago Cubs: How have trade deadline acquisitions panned out so far?

Chicago Cubs: Anderson Espinoza could be in the majors sooner than later

In a deal that sent Jake Marisnick to San Diego, Jed Hoyer was able to grab former top prospect Anderson Espinoza from the Padres in a very worthwhile gamble. Espinoza has always had supreme talent, but he’s constantly been marred by injuries. As a result, Espinoza is 23 and only in High-A, but his first start in his new organization was a beauty.

In 6 1/3 innings pitched, Espinoza flashed his fantastic arsenal, striking out nine batters in the start. He got burned late in his start and gave up three runs in the outing, but it was really an encouraging start all things considered. Keeping in mind the fact that Espinoza is 23, and was essentially a lottery ticket pickup for Hoyer, we could wind up seeing him in Wrigley in the near future.

Chicago Cubs: Alex Canario and Caleb Kilian are beginning to win fans over

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The final trade the Cubs made at the deadline was shipping their former MVP to the Bay area in exchange for outfielder Alexander Canario and starting pitcher Caleb Kilian. The return was soured because of a fake report that the Cubs would be getting Joey Bart in the deal, and the trade was widely viewed as underwhelming at first. But fast forward to today and the mood around the return has totally changed.

Caleb Kilian is a prospect that may be on the rise, which is not something you typically see in college arms, but it applies here. Kilian is a strikeout machine with a great fastball and good secondary pitches as well, which hasn’t changed in Double-A Tennessee. Through three starts,  Kilian has 11 Ks in 10 2/3 innings pitched, a solid mark for a pitcher that is just getting acclimated with a completely new style of work. The ERA is above 5.00 at the moment, but as he continues to get accustomed to his new team, he’ll get better and better.

Canario, meanwhile, might be the most talked-about prospect the Cubs got at the deadline as he has absolutely raked since the team promoted him to High-A. Canario is slashing a really good .280/.333/.560 since being traded and has already flashed his impressive power stroke on more than one occasion with four home runs in his first 12 games.

Kilian and Canario have both made most Cub fans eat their words with what they’ve shown so far, and if they continue to develop, it will certainly erase the pain of the Bryant trade even more.

The first couple of weeks after the deadline has been everything the team and fans could’ve hoped for at this point. Most of the prospects acquired have flashed serious potential and have boosted the look of a suddenly very strong farm system. The team seems to have the right kind of players in place, now it’s on the Chicago Cubs to develop them to their full potential.