Winner of MLB Trade Deadline should scare Chicago Cubs fans

The Major League Baseball Trade deadline is now in the rearview mirror, but one trade remains perplexing to not only Chicago Cubs fans but Major League Baseball in general.

The St. Louis Cardinals were involved in a three-team deal with the Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers. The meat and potatoes of the three-team deal saw Erick Fedde and Tommy Pham be sent from the White Sox to the Dodgers; Michael Kopech be sent from the White Sox to the Dodgers; injured utility infielder Tommy Edman be sent from the Cardinals to the Dodgers.

The White Sox also sent cash considerations to the Cardinals.

If you're keeping track at home, yes, the Cardinals received one of the best starting pitchers in the American League this season while having the White Sox pay down his salary and a fourth outfielder while only giving up a player who has yet to have a plate appearance at the Major League level this season.

It's no wonder that Jon Heyman has the Cardinals as one of the winners of this season's deadline.

Cardinals' creativity should concern the Cubs.

There is how the Cubs were creative in terms of using Christopher Morel to get an upgrade at third base in Isaac Paredes but the Cardinals' creativity should be a warning sign for Jed Hoyer.

With Hoyer admitting that he has aversion to signing players a the top of the free-agent market, it seems that he will continue to take an outside-the-box approach to piecing together the Cubs' roster. The issue with that concept is that the Cardinals have not only proven to be better at that strategy, this trade being the latest example, but they also are a better organization than the Cubs.

The Cardinals are not afraid to be aggressive with their prospect promotions and that is the perfect alignment with the moves like the trade they made for Fedde.

If the Cubs aren't going to outspend the Cardinals, they are going to have to prove they can outthink the Cardinals and that has been rare over the course of the past 20 years.