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Checking in on 4 pitchers the Cubs traded away last season

By Jake Misener |
New York Mets v Los Angeles Dodgers
New York Mets v Los Angeles Dodgers / Katelyn Mulcahy/GettyImages
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For the second consecutive summer, July 2022 brought a major sell-off on the North Side of Chicago. The second time around lacked the superstar names being traded we saw the year prior, but it was another seller's summer for the Chicago Cubs and president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer.

Surprisingly, both Willson Contreras and Ian Happ wound up finishing the year with the team. The former wound up departing via free agency, signing with the Cardinals last winter, while Happ recently agreed to a three-year contract extension with the club.

But with so many new faces on this year's team, let's take a look back at four players the Cubs sent packing at last summer's trade deadline and how they're faring early on in the 2023 season.

Checking in on 4 players the Cubs traded away last season: #4 - Chris Martin

This front office has been masterful when it comes to adding veteran relief arms in recent years, and those signings have, more often than not, wound up as trade chips as the team fell out of contention by mid-summer.

Signed prior to the 2022 campaign, big right-hander Chris Martin is a perfect example of that approach. He made 34 appearances for Chicago, averaging 11.5 K/9 and working to a 4.34 ERA and 3.02 FIP, establishing himself as a reliable presence in the Cubs bullpen.

He was traded to the Dodgers at last summer's trade deadline and was brilliant for Los Angeles down the stretch, working to a 1.46 ERA and 1.13 FIP across 26 appearances, posting a brilliant 0.526 WHIP and 12.4 K/9 in the process. This winter, Martin spun that performance into a two-year, $17.5 million contract with the Boston Red Sox.

Early on this year, he's outpitched his 5.04 FIP, evidenced by a 2.54 ERA. He's allowed more than a hit per inning (10.3 H/9) while averaging just 2.6 K/9. Still, it's early and his recent track record suggest there are brighter days ahead for the veteran right-hander.

Checking in on 4 players the Cubs traded away last season: #3 - Scott Effross

The Scott Effross trade, at the time, drew the ire of a pretty large contingent of Cubs fans. After all, the rookie right-hander looked like a potential late-inning weapon for years to come - not a veteran on a one-year deal we were used to seeing dealt come July.

Of course, since then, the prospect coming back in the deal, Hayden Wesneski not only made a great first impression after joining the big league club in 2022, but won the final spot in the starting rotation this spring and is coming off a seven-inning effort against Oakland in which he allowed just one run and struck out seven.

As for Effross, he finished last year in the New York bullpen, and was largely as solid as he was with the Cubs. But in late September, he started experiencing elbow soreness - and before long, he wound up going under the knife for Tommy John surgery.

He's expected to miss the entire 2023 season but should be ready for the 2024 campaign. Still just 29 years of age, he should have plenty left in the tank, but with the promise Wesneski has shown in his brief time with the Cubs, this trade has the makings of one Brian Cashman could wind up regretting down the road.

Checking in on 4 players the Cubs traded away last season: #2 - David Robertson

After what felt like months of rumors connecting the Mets to the likes of not only David Robertson, but also Ian Happ and Willson Contreras, none of the three wound up in the Big Apple (not totally surprising given how bad the Javier Baez - Pete Crow-Armstrong trade already looks). Instead, Robertson wound up with New York's division rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies.

Robertson was no stranger to the Phillies, having spent both 2019 and 2020 with the organization, although things didn't go quite as planned in that first go-round. The right-hander wound up making all of 29 appearances over that two-year span - hardly the worth the $21 million investment Philadelphia made looking to bolster the bullpen.

However, this second stint with the team went markedly better. He arrived in early August and made 22 appearances, posting a 2.70 ERA and11.6 K/9 for the eventual National League champion Phillies. He was very effective come October, even notching four scoreless appearances in the Fall Classic against Houston, striking out five Astros in the process.

This winter, Robertson did wind up with the Mets - a move that looks even more critical for New York after the loss of closer Edwin Diaz in the WBC. He's been everything the club could ask for and then some, making nine appearances to the tune of a 0.96 ERA, 0.750 WHIP and 2.15 FIP. At age 38, the former All-Star shows no signs of slowing down.

Checking in on 4 players the Cubs traded away last season: #1 - Mychal Givens

Another veteran presence in last year's Cubs bullpen, Mychal Givens, wound up being the piece the Mets acquired from Chicago last summer, sending big right-handed pitcher Saul Gonzalez to the WIndy City in the deal.

Givens had racked up 40 appearances for the Cubs at the time of the trade, averaging 11.3 K/9 and posting a 2.66 ERA. He and Robertson formed a formidable back-end combination for David Ross - but after the deadline, it was back to square one as far as figuring out who handled what in the Chicago bullpen.

Things in Queens did not go well for Givens - he was shelled in his early appearances and by season's end, had a 4.79 ERA and 10.5 H/9 to show for his time with the Mets. This winter, he returned to the Baltimore Orioles, the team that initially drafted him in the second round back in 2009 on a one-year, $5 million deal with an option for 2024.

Unfortunately, Givens is yet to throw a pitch this year for the O's due to a knee injury. The good news, though, is he should be starting a rehab assignment in late April - and could be back in the Baltimore bullpen sometime in May.

Scott Effross

David Robertson

Mychal Givens

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