Chicago Cubs: Re-grading the fateful 2021 trade deadline

The 2021 trade deadline marked a pivotal moment for the Cubs as a franchise, and almost a year later, we have a clearer picture of how the trades look.

Almost a year ago, Jed Hoyer pulled the trigger on a series of franchise-altering moves, stripping the Chicago Cubs of the core that broke a 108-year World Series curse, trading Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez, and Kris Bryant among others away at the trade deadline.

After several seasons of underperformance, and the Cubs and the core players not coming to an agreement on extensions, Hoyer steered the team into retooling/rebuilding mode, making eight trades and acquiring 12 new players during the month of July. It was an emotionally-charged time, with many understandably angered and distraught over the loss of so many beloved players.

Now, with almost a year in the rearview mirror, emotions have cooled a bit, and with a greater deal of familiarity with the players Chicago received in return, we can now give a better grade to the trades that Hoyer made. The 2021 deadline could very well define the next era of baseball on the North Side – so how do those moves look at this point?