5 Chicago Cubs players who let the team down during their tenure

Baseball is a game of failure, and the Chicago Cubs are no strangers to failing a time or two. You never know what could happen when you bring in a new player. They could galvanize the team into making a playoff push, or they could crash, burn and be off the roster quicker than the blink of an eye. Here are five players that were brought in by the Cubs to be difference-makers, but massively underperformed.

1. Alfonso Rivas

The most recent entry on this list is former Cubs first baseman Alfonso Rivas, who was acquired from the Oakland Athletics in exchange for infielder Tony Kemp in January of 2020. Rivas was a fourth-round draft pick by the A's in 2018, and he performed well in their system with a career minor league on-base percentage of .391. He made it to Triple AAA Iowa by 2022 and was called up to the Cubs in April of last year.

With the Cubs in need of both a left-handed bat and a 1st baseman, Rivas had the chance to carve out a spot on this roster. However, his performance at the big league level was never up to par and was even atrocious at times. He finished the year with an OPS of .629 with 25 RBIs. His inability to hit for power also spelled doom for his Cubs career before it ever really started. Rivas was released by the Cubs in January, and he subsequently signed a minor league deal with the Padres a few days later. He will likely begin the year with the El Paso Chihuahuas, the Padres AAA affiliate.

2. Tyler Chatwood

After the departure of Jake Arrieta and the retirement of John Lackey, the Cubs were in need of starting rotation depth. Prior to the 2018 season, one of their answers to this problem was former Rockies starter Tyler Chatwood, who was given a 3-year deal worth $38 million by the Cubs. Unfortunately, this wound up being a huge waste of money, as Chatwood proceeded to get absolutely shelled in his first year at Wrigley. Over 103 innings, Chatwood sported a wretched 5.30 ERA with a league-leading 95 walks.

A transition to the bullpen in 2019 saw a bit more success for Chatwood, but inconsistent performances and injuries mired his Cubs tenure. Since leaving Chicago, Chatwood has pitched with the Blue Jays and Giants, and he recently signed a minor league deal with the Pirates in December. I think I speak for most Cubs fans when I say his Cubs tenure best be forgotten.

3. Craig Kimbrel

Prior to the 2019 season, the Chicago Cubs needed a closer. Aroldis Chapman, Hector Rondon, Wade Davis, and Brandon Morrow had all come and gone by this time (in Morrow's case his arm died). So the Cubs brought in one of the best closers baseball has seen in the 21st century in the form of Craig Kimbrel. Among all active pitchers, Kimbrel has the most saves with an impressive 394. The three-year deal looked pretty solid for both parties, as Kimbrel was set to make $14 million a year, while the Cubs get a lockdown closer. But that's not what happened.

Kimbrel's first season with the Cubs saw him sport a 6.53 ERA in just 23 appearances while giving up a career-high 9 home runs. During his previous 8 seasons, he had never given up that many homers in a given year, but he managed to do it in just 20 innings with Chicago. Injuries and the pandemic only notched him 15 innings in 2020. By the time he finally returned to form in 2021, it was too little too late as the Cubs were set to blow things up at the deadline. Kimbrel was among the stars traded that year, and the Cubs received 2B Nick Madrigal and RHP Codi Heuer from the White Sox for him.

4. Brett Anderson

It is kind of amazing Brett Anderson still pitches in Major League Baseball. Since his debut in 2009, the man has played just 3 full seasons, as he consistently misses time due to injury. Whether injuries or just seriously bad outings were the case, his 6 starts with the Cubs in 2017 were something to behold. Anderson managed to collect almost an earned run (20) for all of his 22 innings pitched, notching him an 8.18 ERA. He was transferred to the 60-day Injured Reserve and released by July. Just awful.