Cubs trade for Pirates reliever just one day after Pittsburgh dealt for him

Cubs land reliever in bizarre trade sequence involving Pirates

Jordan Campbell

Cincinnati Reds v Washington Nationals / Mitchell Layton/GettyImages

Hopefully, Taylor Rogers wasn't looking forward to pitching for the Pittsburgh Pirates. One day after the Pirates acquired Rogers as part of the Ke'Bryan Hayes trade, the Cubs swooped in and took the left-handed relief pitcher off of Pittsburgh's hands. In exchange for Rogers, the Cubs have sent Class-A outfielder Ivan Brethowr to the Pirates.

Given the regression that the Cubs have seen in their bullpen in recent weeks--Drew Pomeranz, Chris Flexen, Porter Hodger, and Ryan Pressly--it seemed likely that the team was going to add reinforcements. After adding Andrew Kittredge from the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night, Rogers is another veteran who should provide stability to the Cubs' bullpen.

In 40 appearances with the Reds this season, Rogers had an ERA of 2.45 while striking out over 23 percent of the hitters he has faced. Flexen was designated for assignment earlier this week, and with Pomeranz showing some signs of regression, it makes sense that the team added another veteran lefty to their pitching staff.

Cubs jump on strange bullpen twist as Pirates flip newly acquired arm

The trade for Rogers only adds to what was a truly bizarre trade deadline for the Cubs' front office. In a vacuum, there are reasons to like each of the moves they made. Michael Soroka is a solid arm to place at the back of the rotation, and Kittredge is an ideal replacement for Pressly in the bullpen. Willi Castro is a solid bat while also giving the Cubs versatility in the infield and outfield.

Having said that, it feels like Jed Hoyer's front office didn't match the moment that was in front of them. The Brewers erased the comfortable lead the Cubs had in the National League Central division, and will enter Friday with a one-game lead. While the Cubs were able to sneak out of Milwaukee earlier this week with a victory, it was clear that the Brewers played a better game of baseball than the Cubs.

The Cubs had a chance to correct that at the deadline, and it seems like they swung and missed. The Cubs' roster is certainly better than it was on Wednesday, but that may not be enough to keep up with the Brewers for the rest of the season.

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Jordan Campbell

For nearly 15 years, Jordan has been a workhorse across the FanSided network - including being the inaugural site expert for Cubbies Crib, as well as a stop at Da Windy City as the site expert. In addition to returning to be a Co-Site Expert at Cubbies Crib, Jordan was previously the Site Expert at Bear Goggles On. In the years since, Jordan has joined FanSided's full-time team, serving as a staff writer for the MLB division. Jordan's work can be seen across the MLB division, including a consistent presence on our Cubs, Twins, Astros, and Tigers sites. Since 2010, Jordan has dedicated his craft to providing insightful commentary on all things Chicago sports, and he has enjoyed his venture into all things Major League Baseball.