5 Forgotten Chicago Cubs who are still playing Major League Baseball

Free Agent acquisitions, trades, and waiver claims remain the most prominent avenues for how players move about Major League Baseball. In this article, here are five current MLB players, who were Chicago Cubs at some point in their careers, and have now found a new home. This isn't equivalent to calling any of the players' news homes to be random or out of place. Furthermore, no players will be compared to Hank Aaron on the Milwaukee Brewers or Yogi Berra on the Mets. The list simply specifies a player's current franchise, when they played on the Cubs, and how the Chicago departure came to fruition.

5. Jorge Soler, Miami Marlins

In June of 2012, Jorge Soler and the Chicago Cubs agreed on a nine-year, $30 million contract. A little over two years later, Soler made his MLB debut. The Cuba native became the 117th MLB player to hit a home run during his first at-bat. Undoubtedly, an aura around a player's potential hovers throughout a team's fanbase when feats such as this take place. The unique records didn't stop at his first game. "El Crudo" became the third player over the previous 100 seasons to hit at least one extra-base hit in his first five career games.

In 2016. Soler's game appearances dropped from 101 in 2015 to 86 games. For the 2016 postseason, both of his two hits occurred in the World Series. He earned a ring with the Cubs before being sent to the Kansas City Royals in December 2016 for closer Wade Davis. Soler remained with the Royals from 2017-2021, producing pedestrian numbers. Near the end of the 2021 trade deadline, Soler was sent to the Atlanta Braves where he would eventually win the World Series MVP in the Braves' first championship since 1995.

4. Rich Hill, San Diego Padres

Rich Hill, commonly known as "Dick Mountain, was drafted three times before finally signing with the Chicago Cubs. Hill made his Cubs debut against the Arizona Diamondbacks on May 4, 2006. According to Baseball America, he was rated as having one of the best curveballs in the Cubs organization. His first major league victory wasn't until August 1, 2006, versus the Diamondbacks.

Fast forward to 2008, Hill was continuously experiencing command issues as well as back injuries. Following the season, Chicago had begun to look for a trade partner for Hill. In February of 2009, Hill was sent to the Baltimore Orioles for a player to be named later. Hill only made five starts in 2008, going 1-0 with a 4.12 ERA. Since leaving the Cubs, Hill's longest-tenured teams have been the Los Angeles Dodgers (2016-19) and the Boston Red Sox (2010-12, '15 and '22). In total, he has played for 13 franchises (in all six MLB Divisions) and is currently the oldest active MLB player.

2. Tony Kemp, Oakland Athletics

To say the least, Kemp's time with the Cubs was abysmal and forgettable. After playing for the Houston Astros for three-and-a-half seasons and earning a World Series ring, Kemp was traded to Chicago at the deadline for catcher Martin Maldonado. In 82 plate appearances, Kemp batted .183/.258/.305 with a lone homer. Disappointment fueled the termination of his Houston tenure as well.

Although the speedy second baseman and outfielder hit a career-high seven home runs in 2019, Kemp slashed .227/.308/.417 over 163 at-bats. During his brief time in Chicago, Cubs fans may remember when Kemp steadfastly pleaded that he was not involved with the Astros' sign-stealing scandal during their 2017 World Series run. Kemp said that he was asked if he wanted to be part of the scheme when he was called up but chose not to participate. Before the 2020 season, Kemp was shipped to the Oakland Athletics for minor league first baseman Alfonso Rivas. According to Fan Graphs, Kemp had the lowest exit velocity of all major league batters, at 84.4 mph, and the lowest percentage of hard-hit balls, at 14.9 percent in 2022.

1. D.J. LeMahieu, New York Yankees

Although fans can easily recognize D.J. LeMahieu due to his playing for the Yankees, this selection was made due to the fact that perhaps not many realize he played for the Cubs. The three-time all-star played just 37 games in his Cubs' career. LeMahieu and Tyler Colvin were sent to the Colorado Rockies in exchange for Casey Weathers and Ian Stewart. The trade has been considered by some as one of the most important trades in Colorado sports history.

Furthermore, fans speculate this trade laid the groundwork for the 2018 Rockies, the same team that defeated the Cubs in 13 innings during the Wild Card Round at Wrigley Field. On the other hand, the Cubs have the most recent World Series title and more National League Championship Series appearances than Colorado. Despite the monumental victory in 2016, one of Theo Epstein's most memorable snafus during his Cubs' tenure was the LeMahieu trade.

LeMahieu is a two-time All-MLB First Team selection (2019, 2020), a four-time Gold Glove Award winner (2014, 2017, 2018 and 2022) and a three-time Wilson Defensive Player of the Year recipient (2013, 2017 and 2018). Despite the accolades, there is no guarantee LeMahieu would've panned out the same way had he remained with the Cubs.

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