Chicago Cubs: Trade deadline was a major success

Theo Epstein and the Chicago Cubs needed to address the anemic offense and did so at the very least minute, acquiring Nick Castellanos from the Tigers.

What if told you the Chicago Cubs could acquire a productive outfield bat while giving up very little? Well that is exactly what happened. Many fans were wondering what Theo Esptein and Jed Hoyer were going to do to address this team’s offensive struggles without having to give up one of their big name prospects.

Nico Hoerner, Brailyn Marquez, Adbert Alzolay, and Cole Roederer were all guys that the Cubs should have kept and they were able to do so. The team got the day started when they acquired Tony Kemp from the Houston Astros in exchange for catcher Martin Maldonado, who bridged the gap while Willson Contreras nursed a foot injury.

Once Contreras returned, there really wasn’t an immediate need for Maldonado, and to my surprise, they were actually able to unload him despite not getting a hit with the team. Kemp has had a decent season for the Astros but was really good last year, slashing 0.263/0.351/0.392 (110 wRC+) in 97 games.

He walked in nearly 11 percent of his plate appearances and struck out under 15 percent of the time. His flexibility will be invaluable for the Cubs who desperately need help off the bench and Kemp can play second base as well as all three outfield spots. It’s an underrated acquisition in my opinion that could pay dividends. Keep in mind that Kemp is arbitration eligible through the 2022 season, so the Cubs could keep him around for awhile if they like what they see over the next couple months.

The team acquired relief pitcher David Phelps yesterday for Thomas Hatch. Phelps, 32, has quietly been a consistent relief pitcher since moving to the bullpen in 2016. This season, he has a 3.63 ERA in 17.1 innings of work while striking out 18 batters.

Now for the big acquisition. The Cubs appeared to be content with these moves alone as the 3 pm (CST deadline approached). Rumors were swirling that the Cubs and Tigers were talking, specifically regarding right-fielder Nick Castellanos. The deadline came and Castellanos and the Tigers started their game as planned against the Angels but he was immediately pulled from the on-deck circle.

Twitter was buzzing that the Cubs had acquired the slugger, which was later confirmed in a trade for Paul Richan and Alex Lange. Castellanos is in the final year of his contract and the 27-year old will look to increase his value on the free agent market as a member of the Cubs.

The north siders desperately needed help hitting left-handed pitchers and Castellanos mashes lefties, slashing 0.347/0.415/0.611 (166 wRC+) this season. Jason Heyward figures to slide over to centerfield when Castellanos arrives on Thursday for the series finale against the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Cubs will be relying on him to jump start their offense which has been stagnant for quite some time. Yes, the bullpen has been struggling as of late, but they have been forced to pitch perfectly because the offense provides little room for error, if any at all.

A move that went under the radar was the trade of Carl Edwards Jr. to the San Diego Padres in exchange for left-handed reliever Brad Wieck. Once pegged as the closer of the future, Edwards has really struggled with his command since the 2017 season. He attempted to change his delivery at the beginning of this season, but it was deemed illegal by MLB.

He’s been up and down between Triple-A Iowa and Chicago a couple of times and it was best for both parties to split. There’s no doubt that Edwards has the stuff to be an elite reliever but he needs to find that command that made him so valuable in the 2016 season.

Wieck, 27, is a mountain of a man, standing at 6’9″ and 255 pounds. This is his first full season in the big leagues and he has a 6.57 ERA in 30 appearances with the Padres. Wieck relies heavily on his fastball, throwing it nearly 80 percent of the time. He also features a slider and curveball. He was throwing a changeup last season but has dropped the pitch this season. It will be interesting to see how he does with the Cubs.

Thoughts on the Cubs trade deadline moves?