Ranking Cubs trade deadline rentals from the last decade from first to worst

The Chicago Cubs are going to be active and, reportedly, heavily involved in the pitching market at this year's trade deadline. This will be the first time in many years that the team has a clear directive to make significant additions to an already-talented roster.

Many would prefer those additions to have additional years of team control to help bolster the future beyond the 2025 season. But, over the last decade, the Cubs have made a lot of rental deals that have panned out to varying degrees of success, so the front office doesn't necessarily have to avoid rentals to find the playoffs this year.

Here is a ranking of some of the most consequential rentals the Cubs have acquired over the last ten years.

Ranking 5 most notable Cubs trade deadline rental deals since 2015

1. Aroldis Chapman (2016)

Clearly, the best deadline rental came in the championship-winning 2016 campaign, when the Cubs sent their No. 1 prospect Gleyber Torres and three others to the New York Yankees for closer Aroldis Chapman. At the time, Chapman was the most coveted reliever on the market, and the Yankees were going nowhere.

Just like this year, the Cubs recognized the fact that their chances of making a deep playoff run were very high, but they wanted one more difference-making arm in the bullpen to help solidify those odds. It worked out perfectly.

Chapman continued to use his blistering velocity to lock down games. In 28 regular-season appearances for the Cubs that year, the left-handed closer posted a 1.01 ERA with 46 strikeouts and 16 saves in 18 opportunities. Chapman also limited hitters to a .132 batting average while walking only 10.

Although the Cubs already had Hector Rondon performing well in the ninth inning, the team knew that having several arms capable of closing only multiplies a team's playoff chances. Simply put, the Cubs may not have gone as far as they did without Chapman's efforts, as he also tossed 15 2/3 innings in the playoffs. The team could take a similar approach this year to give manager Craig Counsell another option to pair with Daniel Palencia.

2. Nick Castellanos (2019)

Although the Cubs finished with an 84-78 record and fell short of the playoffs in 2019, they certainly tried to compete at the trade deadline. The Cubs traded for outfielder Nick Castellanos from the Detroit Tigers, who instantly gelled with the core members of the Cubs roster.

Castellanos was already in the middle of a great year at the plate, but in just 51 games for the Cubs, the power hitter smacked 21 doubles, 16 home runs, and slashed .321/.356/.646. Castellanos also finished the season leading the league in doubles with 58. Although his tenure in Chicago was short-lived, it was prosperous and memorable.

3. Alex Avila (2017)

In another deal with Detroit, the Cubs sent a package to the Tigers in exchange for catcher Alex Avila and reliever Justin Wilson. The Cubs' catching tandem that year consisted of Wilson Contreras and veteran Miguel Montero. However, Montero was designated for assignment in June after he blasted pitcher Jake Arrieta during an interview with the media. The incident stemmed from a game against the Nationals where the pair were battery mates, and Washington went 7-7 in stolen base attempts.

Avila was brought in a month later to help solidify the catching core, and it worked wonders. In addition to being a solid defender behind the plate, Avila came up with some clutch hits for the Cubs in the final two months. In 92 at-bats, Avila collected 22 hits, 19 walks, and drove in 17 with a solid .749 OPS.

4. Joe Smith (2016)

Another bullpen addition during the 2016 season, Joe Smith's contributions to the championship team were definitely overshadowed by Chapman, but he did well for the Cubs in his own right. In 16 appearances, the sidearm-throwing righty owned a 2.51 ERA over 14 1/3 innings pitched.

Smith helped cover innings vital in the final two months, and the Cubs only had to part with minor league arm Jesus Castillo in the deal with the Los Angeles Angels. Castillo never made his MLB debut, making Smith a successful rental even though he didn't make the postseason roster.

5. Jeimer Candelario (2023)

At the 2023 deadline, the Cubs were one of the teams on the cusp of buying and selling. The roster showed promise, with Cody Bellinger having his best season in years and Justin Steele pitching like an ace. Upon the recommendation of shortstop Dansby Swanson, the Cubs front office decided to buy and attempt a playoff push.

The main haul of a fairly bleak market was Jeimer Candelario, who was arguably the best bat available. Unfortunately, Candelario's offensive numbers took a dip when he came back to Chicago, and he slashed .234/.318/.445 for the Cubs. Candelario's efforts weren't abysmal, but they definitely didn't give the team the boost it needed to collect enough wins to make the playoffs.

Honorable Mention: Isaac Paraedes (2024)

Although nobody knew it at the time, third baseman Isaac Paredes was effectively a rental for the Cubs. The third baseman played 52 games in a Cubs uniform last year, offering lackluster production at the plate. Paredes' three home runs and .223/.325/.307 slash line down the stretch was not what Chicago's front office was envisioning when they sent a package to the Tampa Bay Rays for the third baseman.

That package included Christopher Morel, reliever Hunter Bigge, and minor league pitcher Ty Johnson. It was a weird deal at the time, and it's even stranger looking back at Morel's numbers. The once exciting Cubs hitter owns a mediocre wRC+ of 96 in 188 plate appearances to Tampa Bay this year. He isn't even a starting player anymore and is striking out at an alarming 33.5% of the time.

Paredes' solid defense at third would have probably made this trade a win for the Cubs alone, but Cubs President Jed Hoyer parlayed this deal into acquiring Kyle Tucker from the Astros. In a sense, the Paredes rental led to the team making the most consequential upgrade to their lineup of the 2020s. It is an honorable mention because Paredes technically had three additional years of team control when the Cubs acquired him.