Chicago Cubs: Re-visiting the Derrek Lee trade

Not long after the Chicago Cubs collapsed in October 2003, they acquired Derrek Lee from the World Series Champion Florida Marlins.

Inexplicable. Frustrating. Depressing. A few words to describe what transpired at Wrigley Field in the 2003 NLCS as the Chicago Cubs saw their 3-1 series lead evaporate on the way to losing at the hands of the eventual World Series Champions. Not long after the season and World Series celebrations were over, the Cubs acted swiftly to find a permanent solution at first base.

And on November 24, they find their guy in Derrek Lee in exchange for Hee-Seop Choi and Mike Nannini. The former 14th overall pick (Lee) in the 1993 MLB Draft was tabbed as a highly-touted prospect and smacked 31 home runs to along with 92 RBI during the 2003 season.

Choi was signed as an international free agent out of South Korea. He made his major league debut in 2002, but in a more prominent role, he slashed .218/.350/.421 with eight home runs and 28 RBI in 80 games during the 2003 season. After the trade, Choi spent just half a season with the Marlins before he traded again to the Dodgers.

He would spend just another year and a half in the big leagues slashing .238/.328/.419 with 15 home runs and 48 RBI while never materializing into the player he was projected.

Likewise, Nannini never reached the majors after being taken 37th overall in the 1998 MLB Draft. He wound up back on the Cubs roster in 2007, posting a 3.18 ERA in five appearances for Triple-A Iowa before disappearing from baseball after the 2008 season. He resurfaced in the Independent League in 2014 but retired after the 2015 season.

Lee, of course, went on to become one of the more prominent power hitters in baseball. He led the National League in doubles (50) during his MVP-candidate season in 2005 while smacking 46 bombs and driving in 107 runs. He ended up finishing in third in the NL MVP voting and missed a significant portion of the 2006 season with a wrist injury.

However, he was instrumental in helping the Cubs achieve back-to-back NL Central titles in 2007 and 2008. During the 2010 season, Lee was traded to the Braves as the Cubs were transitioning into their rebuild. He would also play for Baltimore and Pittsburgh before retiring after the 2011 season.