Chicago Cubs: How have team’s trade departures fared with new clubs?

It’s already been more than a month since the eventful 2021 trade deadline and we now have greater perspective on the fallout. While the main concern for the Chicago Cubs and the fanbase should be the development of prospects and younger players, it’s worth at least taking a peek at how the old friends are doing.

With all of the team’s departures being sent to contenders, their performances will likely go a long way in determining how far their new team will go, and it hasn’t been all smooth sailing.

Chicago Cubs:  Joc Pederson has been a solid addition to NL East-leading Braves.

Though his time at Wrigley was brief, Pederson had a few fun moments in Chicago, and his trade marked the beginning of what was a massive selloff. His production has been basically the same as it was in Chicago, with an OPS thats just .009 points higher than it was on the North Side, but he’s still drawn a large amount of starts in center field for an Atlanta team that now seems destined to play baseball in October.

Pederson has had some massive postseason moments in years past, so this trade could pay massive dividends in the near future. Braves fans can only hope he can replicate his success from last fall, when he hit .400/.500/.700 while helping the Dodgers win it all.

Chicago Cubs: Athletics’ struggles certainly cannot be pinned on Andrew Chafin

Occuring just a couple days ahead of the deadline, the Cubs traded Andrew Chafin out to the Bay for a pair of interesting prospects. The move made sense for each team as the Cubs sold high on a rental in a lost season for a good return, and the Athletics looked to keep pace in the competitive AL playoff race by bolstering the back of their bullpen.

The move has paid off for Oakland, as the lefty went from dominant late-inning reliever in Chicago to dominant late-inning reliever in Oakland. Chafin has given up just two runs in his stint in Oakland, but unfortunately for them, the A’s have slid down the standings and now are a long shot to make the postseason.

On the year, the veteran left-hander has made a whopping 60 appearances, working to a 1.73 ERA, 2.73 FIP and 0.802 WHIP – establishing himself as one of the best relief arms in all of baseball. Even with Oakland’s limited financial resources, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Athletics look to pick up the lefty’s mutual option for 2022 – although for his part, Chafin would fetch far more in a return to the open market.

Chicago Cubs: Ryan Tepera has been near-unhittable for the White Sox

While the Cubs maybe sold relatively low on Ryan Tepera as he was coming off a shaky stretch, it’s hard to be upset that they turned him into a solid reliever and then got any sort of value for him.

Tepera was certainly no slouch in his time with the North Siders, working to a 2.97 FIP between the 2020 and 2021 campaigns, punching out more than 10 batters per nine in the process. You can’t ask for much more than what you got from the former 19th rounder this year given he’s making just $800,000, either.

Since joining the Cubs’ crosstown rivals, Tepera has turned into one of the best White Sox relievers as of late. The veteran right-hander is striking out almost 13 batters per nine innings, and has kept his walks and home runs to a minimum. This guy has been one of the best acquisitions of the entire deadline, and should be a pivotal part of their bullpen in October.

Former Chicago Cubs closer Craig Kimbrel hasn’t been what the Sox hoped for

A move that came seemingly out of nowhere, the White Sox added Craig Kimbrel to a bullpen that already had Liam Hendriks in the closer role with the hopes Kimbrel would be able to pitch in either the eighth or ninth, depending on the situation. The results thus far however, have been disastrous.

After giving up just one home run in 2021 leading up to the trade, Kimbrel has already surrendered four with his new team in just 14 games, an issue eerily similar to his nightmarish 2019 campaign. His ERA with the White Sox is 12 times as high as it was on the Cubs and his WHIP has ballooned as well.

It’s truly been a tale of two seasons for the veteran, who looked like he finally figured everything out again early on in the year. With the Cubs, Kimbrel put up a 0.49 ERA and 1.09 FIP en route to the eighth All-Star selection of his career before getting dealt ahead of the deadline.

The White Sox desperately need Kimbrel to right the ship, as their bullpen could be elevated to a new level if he does, and a move to the closer role may be the only solution.

Chicago Cubs: The Javier Baez experience has been a disaster for the Mets

In a move that earned the Cubs high marks from the baseball world, Chicago shipped off the always electrifying Javier Baez and Trevor Williams to the Mets for 2020 first-round pick Pete Crow-Armstrong. The Mets sat atop the NL East at the deadline, and after an even bigger deal fell apart, felt pressure to add a bat, and got their man in Javier Baez. Or at least, they thought they did.

What’s followed since has been a month that can only be described as tumultuous for the Mets. The Mets spiraled out of first and now are longshots for postseason, and that’s just what happened on the field. While Trevor Williams has been solid for the Mets, the same can’t be said for Baez.

El Mago had a slashline of just .213/.262/.410 with three home runs, and the frustration boiled over with fans when he, Kevin Pillar, and Francisco Lindor did a thumbs down taunt at Mets fans, further driving a wedge between him and his new fanbase. His own organization didn’t even come to his defense, and it looks more and more likely with each passing day Baez won’t be returning to the Mets after this season.

Chicago Cubs: Kris Bryant playing a key role in a pennant chase for Giants

When the Giants traded for Kris Bryant, it signified that they were going all-in on their surprising 2021 campaign and got the bat that they felt would help them win the NL West and make a run in October. While Bryant hasn’t set the world on fire, he’s been they key piece the Giants needed as they desperately cling to first place in the division.

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Bryant is sporting an OPS well above .800 and playing wherever asked, and while he isn’t putting up his 2016 MVP numbers, the Giants certainly aren’t regretting the trade. The true success of this trade will have to be measured in October, however. Bryant has been a World Series champion before, but can he do it again in San Francisco?

While it’s easy for us all to tune out of baseball for this season, and just simply keep an eye on the minor leagues for the time being, it’s always interesting to see how players traded away perfrom on their new teams.

For the most part, the Cubs’ trade departures have all been solid at the very least. Every one of them was traded to a contender, so maybe it’s away for Cubs fans to get invested in the postseason this year.

Chicago Cubs the clear winners in the Jake Marisnick trade so far

Perhaps the most inexplicable trade at the deadline was Jed Hoyer somehow finding phenomenal value for Jake Marisnick. Marisnick is a perfectly servicable 4th outfielder with a good glove, but he was absolutely not worth what the Padres gave up for him.

While Anderson Espinoza has a 15.6 K/9 in the Cubs minor league system,  Marisnick is currently toiling on the Padres bench with a .317 OPS with just 26 plate appearances. Chalk a ‘W’ up for Hoyer on this one.