Chicago Cubs: Theo Epstein’s five best moves as President

Jake Arrieta trade

The Chicago Cubs were so lucky when Theo Epstein pulled off  a trade with the Baltimore Orioles in 2013. It took a few years to look like a great trade but saying it was great would be selling it short. It all started when the Cubs signed Scott Feldman in free agency. He was a good player for them but it was clear early that he would be traded off later in the season. Well, he sure was when he was sent to the Baltimore Orioles with Steve Clevenger for Pedro Strop and Jake Arrieta.

For one, Strop was a very good relief pitcher for the Chicago Cubs. He was great including multiple postseason runs. The fact that he was the second most impressive piece in the trade shows how good of a deal it was. The trade really worked out well for the Cubs because it gave them not one but two very good pitchers.

As good as Strop was, not many pitchers in the history of the Chicago Cubs made the impact that Jake Arrieta did. For about a year, Arrieta was the best pitcher in the world. He won the Cy Young in 2015 to reward him for his dominance. He went 22-6 that year with a 1.77 ERA and 0.865 WHIP which is incredible.

The following year, Arrieta and Lester were amazing en route to winning the World Series. He gave them the attitude that they needed because he was obsessed with winning and it paid off for them. It will go down as one of the best trades in the history of the Cubs and one that the Cubs will remember fondly forever.