3 recent trades that prove the Cubs front office deserves our trust

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Although not all recent moves made by the Cubs have sat well with fans, the fact is this new front office has worked wonders in the last year and a half. Sure, Chicago dropped the ball when non-tendering Kyle Schwarber. Anthony Rizzo went on to have a great year in 2022 in the Bronx, as well, but there are plenty of moves that have drastically improved the long-term outlook for the club.

Ever Since hiring Carter Hawkins as GM, who has, for the most part, been content to be behind the scenes, the organization has been churning out top-tier talent throughout the minor league system. Chicago looks to be forming an assembly line of prospects that hopefully can be called up in waves as the year go on.

Let’s hone in on just three trades that are already looking like winners.

3 recent trades the Cubs won: #3 – Trading Kris Bryant to the Giants

Though fans everywhere were upset when Kris Bryant was traded to the Giants last July, it’s now safe to say it was the best move for Chicago. In return, the Cubs received Caleb Kilian, who figures to *hopefully* be a solid addition to the starting rotation moving forward and Alexander Canario who just went from High-A to Triple-A all in one season and is proving he has what it takes to be an impact player.

Kilian struggled with command issues in 2022 and spent the majority of the year in Iowa fine-tuning his mechanics. One can hope he’s one adjustment away from being a solid piece at the big league level. Canario, on the other hand, just launched 37 home runs during the 2022 season and at just 22 years old has as high of a ceiling as anybody. If he continues at the torrid pace he was on, it won’t be long before he’s in Chicago getting regular at-bats and crushing baseballs onto Waveland.

The icing on the cake is that the Giants didn’t even re-sign Bryant. In my mind, the Cubs absolutely owned this trade considering Canario is already the #9 prospect in the organization and Kilian sits at #14, respectively. However, I have a sinking feeling Canario will move up a couple spots now being at Triple-A and due to how he ended the season red-hot at the highest level before the majors.

Personally, I’m happy for KB and his family for the massive contract he was able to secure. Given how the 2022 season played out, I’m also thrilled it wasn’t the Cubs who gave it to him. Bryant played in just 42 games this season and recorded only five home runs and 14 RBI in the process. He landed on the IL three different times an, at least so far, it’s safe to say the Cubs dodged a bullet here.

3 recent trades the Cubs won: #2 – Stealing Hayden Wesneski from the Yankees

Another absolute fleecing from the Cubs front office came at the 2022 deadline, when they traded rookie reliever Scott Effross to the “win now mode” New York Yankees in exchange for Hayden Wesneski. Considering Effross was a reliever with a respectable arsenal who was having a solid season and had multiple years of team control, it at first was looked at like the Cubs didn’t really have to make that move. It didn’t seem like something that was able to immediately move the needle for the team’s outlook.

This is a move where Hawkins’ track record with identifying and developing arms came into focus. We learned quickly just what Wesneski had to offer, as he made quite the impression late this year in the Cubs rotation. I myself will go on record stating that after what I saw at the tail end of 2022, the movement on his pitches, the strikeouts and the command, I’m ready to peg Wesneski as a core piece of the staff moving forward.

Wesneski checks in as the organization’s 12th-ranked prospect, per MLB Pipeline. However, he did not pitch at least 50 innings to qualify for his rookie season in MLB and therefore is still technically a prospect. After seeing what he can do on the mound in such a short span, you have to think that he could climb even higher on that list heading into 2023. The Cubs have several guys you can argue should be ahead of others, but Wesneski being effective at the major league level already at just 24 years old should give him a jolt up the rankings.

This trade, in my opinion, is not getting the recognition it deserves. Wesneski shut down hitters with a 2.18 ERA in 33 innings of work to close out the year as a rookie. Granted, it’s a rather small sample size, but if you watched any games in which Wesneski pitched, you know this guy has sky-high potential and the Cubs front office nailed this trade.

(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /

3 recent trades the Cubs won: #1- The infamous Javier Baez trade

As we all know, the Cubs’ now #1 prospect was snatched from the New York Mets at the trade deadline in 2021. Since then, after recovering from shoulder injury, Pete Crow-Armstrong went from Myrtle Beach in Single-A to helping the High-A South Bend Cubs secure a Midwest League championship. In the process, the speedy outfielder batted .312/.376/.520 with 16 home runs and 61 runs batted in. He also swiped 32 bases on the season and played incredible defense in the outfield. Keeping in mind that PCA notched those numbers in only 101 games, it goes to show the potential this kid has.

Watching Javier Baez get traded last summer wasn’t exactly an enjoyable experience, but the emergence of Crow-Armstrong has softened the blow with time. Before being moved, Baez was slashing .248/.292/.484 with Chicago and although he batted .299 with the Mets upon being dealt, he plummeted back down in 2022 with Detroit, registering a slash of just .238/.278/.393, the lowest mark of his career aside from his rookie campaign in 2014. To make matters even worse, he also lead the league with 26 errors in the field.

Trevor Williams, when dealt, had a 5.06 ERA with Chicago and essentially was a no brainer for the Cubs to throw in with Baez at the time. He actually wound up tossing 32 1/3 frames in 2021 for the Mets and recorded a 3.06 ERA. He continued an uptick in production in 2022 with a 3.21 ERA in 89 2/3 frames. He filled a nice role as a spot starter.

Next. 3 decisions that will haunt the Cubs for years to come. dark

Either way, the Cubs now have the #30 prospect in all of baseball in Crow-Armstrong. In the three moves listed above, the front office acquired new #1, 9, 12 and 14 prospects for guys that have mostly been ineffective since. It goes to show even though you can sometimes make moves that haunt you, overall, the front office has given itself a very positive reputation moving forward.

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3 recent trades the Cubs won: #3 – Trading Kris Bryant to the Giants

3 recent trades the Cubs won: #2 – Stealing Hayden Wesneski from the Yankees

3 recent trades the Cubs won: #1- The infamous Javier Baez trade

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