Grading the Cubs' 2024 Trade Deadline Deals

The Cubs entered the trade deadline with a mindset toward building for the future. The big idea entering the deadline for Jed Hoyer was to help the team in 2025 and beyond. There is no doubt that 2024 has been a disappointing season for the organization.

The notion that something needed to change at the big league level was as obvious as could be. In terms of names that could have been moved, Jameson Taillon, Cody Bellinger, and Nico Hoerner survived the deadline. Two other major league names weren’t as lucky and got shipped out for talent of all ranks. 

Trade 1 

Cubs Acquire: RHP Nate Pearson 

Blue Jays Acquire: OF Yohendrick Pinango, INF Josh Rivera 

Getting an arm like Pearson is a pure reclamation project for Tommy Hottovy. The right-hander is a former top prospect in all of baseball and his stuff just a few years ago is an easy explanation as to why that was the case. Pearson’s fastball still sits in the upper 90s and climbed to 102 in 2021. His tight slider that hangs around the upper 80s is a fantastic compliment to his heavy heater. 

Unfortunately for Pearson, the last couple of years have not gone according to plan. He spent 2022 on the shelf with a lat strain and began his 2023 campaign in AAA. Pearson tossed in 35 games for the Jays a season ago and posted a 4.85 ERA with a 1.26 WHIP. The right-hander had a 5-2 record in 42.2 innings thrown. 

Pearson’s 2024 season with Toronto wasn’t the prettiest, as he had a 5.66 ERA and 1.55 WHIP in 40.0 frames thrown. The 27-year-old made 40 appearances with the Jays before being shipped off to the Cubs on July 27. 

Pinango slashed .263/.363/.424 across two levels in the Cubs system this season. The 22-year-old spent 55 games in AA Tennessee and the other 29 in High-A South Bend. 

Rivera was a third-round pick out of Flordia last summer. The infielder was a staple in the Gator lineup as he hit .348 in 70 games in 2023. After spending 25 games in South Bend at the end of last summer, Rivera got the nod to begin 2024 in AA. In 68 games, the former D1 standout hasn’t found much success at the dish. Rivera slashed .169/.277/.260 in Tennessee and looked like a shell of himself in the box. 

Pearson has the potential to develop into a high-impact reliever under Tommy Hottovy's guidance. Pinango would’ve likely been a Rule 5 draft candidate this winter and Rivera’s lackluster showing at the plate this summer made him an easy choice to move off with all the incoming infield depth on the farm. 

Grade: C+