After the Chicago Cubs traded for Kevin Gausman on Sunday, Cubs fans waited on standby for Jed Hoyer and the Chicago front office to make their next move. Not a single move was made on the following Monday, leaving the day of the trade deadline Hoyer's final day to push this ballclub in the right direction. A surplus of moves was made, with the Cubs acquiring starting pitcher Clay Holmes, outfielder Tyrone Taylor, and strikeout specialist reliever Ryan Zeferjahn.
While known Cubs prospects such as Jefferson Rojas and Moisés Ballesteros were given up in these deals, it simply had to happen in order to get the right talent that can elevate the Cubs to become true contenders. Both Zeferjahn and Holmes can immediately help the Cubs win more games and narrow the gap in the division with the Milwaukee Brewers. Braxton Garrett on the other hand does not seem to be ready to help make an immediate impact in Chicago, and that is why moving off of #10 prospect Jonathon Long in order to acquire him has left many Cubs fans confused.
Trading away two top 30 prospects is far too high a risk for Braxton Garrett
There are reasons to hold out hope for Garrett. Before undergoing UCL surgery, Garrett struck out 156 batters in 160 innings in 2023, but this is exactly where the problem lies. This was in 2023, and even given these numbers, the underlying numbers told a different story. While Garrett had excellent command, his expected batting average against and expected ERA were both in the bottom third in all of MLB, and this was in his best season.
In limited action this season, Garrett has given up 7 runs and walked 8 batters in just over 4 innings pitched. While a small sample size, you have to question what it is that Hoyer sees in Garrett to trade away two top 30 prospects for him, when other, more trustworthy arms were traded at the deadline for less.
Mets reliever Luke Weaver was linked to the Cubs for some time leading up to the deadline. Weaver has a 1.84 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 44 innings of relief for New York. The pirates traded their number 9 prospect for him, a price that Hoyer certainly should have been able to top given what they had to give up for Garrett. If not for the Cubs general deadline success, this puzzling move may be getting the attention that it deserves.
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