Chicago Cubs Make Small But Smart Moves At Deadline

While the Chicago Cubs didn’t “win” the Trade Deadline, they made two small trades without mortgaging the future. Smart play by the Cubs’ front office.

Well, that was quite the anticlimactic trade deadline for the Chicago Cubs.

After weeks of speculation and rumblings around big names such as Cole Hamels, David Price, Tyson Ross and Craig Kimbrel, the Cubs came away with two, low-cost rental pitchers – a starter in Dan Haren and a reliever in Tommy Hunter.

Not exactly the most exciting moves, but solid, and more importantly, smart moves.

While the Cubs certainly tried to acquire pitchers that they’d have control over beyond this year (notably Ross and Carlos Carrasco), they ended up not going through.

“There were different times in the last 24 hours where we felt we had some traction, some movement towards something close to the final stages. We were very aggressive in my mind packaging our prospects for controllable, major league talent including deals of volume and impact,” said Theo Epstein after the trade deadline had passed.

But that’s okay. The Cubs weren’t just going to chuck anyone and everyone in a deal to go for it now. Remember, this is an incredibly young team and is starting four rookies on most nights. Four! The Cubs weren’t supposed to be this competitive yet. The fact that they are is great, but that doesn’t mean the long term picture should be erased.

One of the Cubs’ prime targets, David Price, would have been a two month rental. While he would have certainly created an unstoppable three-headed monster in the playoffs with Jon Lester and Jake Arrieta, the price that the Toronto Blue Jays ended up paying for roughly 10 regular season starts of Price was prohibitive. After all, the Cubs have a great chance to sign Price in the offseason, where they would only need to pay cash. Why pay more than you have to?

While I was certainly intrigued by the Tyson Ross and Craig Kimbrel talks, the Padres were reportedly trying to attach second baseman Jedd Gyorko’s contract in any trade. Gyorko is owed more than $33 million through 2019, and has a shameful slash line of .214/.282/.336 since 2014. Um, no thanks.

I was most enamored with the idea of landing Cole Hamels from the Phillies. After watching the former World Series MVP mow down Cubs hitters like dominoes in his masterful no-hitter, I was hoping that Theo was working out a trade that very afternoon. Unfortunately, the Texas Rangers went all in and snagged him.

So, what do we make of the Cubs’ acquisitions?

Haren is a former ace who, while certainly isn’t the pitcher he once was, is an absolute upgrade over the Dallas Beeler/Tsuyoshi Wada/No Name nonsense the Cubs were sending out in the fifth starter role. Haren may be a fly-ball pitcher which may not suit well some days at Wrigley Field, but he’s guaranteed to give you at least six innings every start and keep you in the game. That’s what the Cubs need from that spot.

Hunter isn’t exactly Wade Davis, but he’s been a more than dependable middle-to-late inning reliever – more so than the Brian Schlitters and Yoervis Medinas of the world. The back-end of the bullpen appears solidified again with Hector Rondon resuming closer duties and Pedro Strop, Jason Motte and Justin Grimm emerging as setup options. Once Neil Ramirez returns, the Cubs will have a plethora of reliable options in the bullpen. And here’s the best part – they won’t need to use Rafael Soriano in high-leverage situations anymore! That’s the real win in all of this.

While these moves won’t win any “Trade Deadline Winners” awards from sports analysts, the Cubs filled two glaring needs without giving up anyone of value. The players going out in the Haren deal were potential Rule 5 picks that weren’t going to make the Cubs’ roster anytime soon. And Junior Lake, whom the Cubs dealt for Hunter, is out of minor league options. Great calls by Epstein and Jed Hoyer to get value out of them while they could.

The Cubs helped their chances of grabbing a postseason spot this season without ruining their goal of sustained success. The plan was for serious contention in 2016 and beyond, so any steps taken this year are just gravy.

“You’ll see some trades over the next few years,” Epstein said. “You almost did today. We’re trying to develop and win at the same time.”

Keep doing what you’re doing, Theo. It seems to be working quite well.

Next: Cubs Offense Key To Second Half

Jul 30, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Dan Haren (15) delivers a pitch against the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports