Happy Major League Baseball trade deadline day Chicago Cubs fans! The team was extremely busy today, but it wasn’t really earth-shattering in terms of consequence. They added a decent bat for an ailing offense, and imprved a bullpen that is nothing short of a dumpster fire right now. There were a few minor moves made on trade deadline day and the overall net result is….??
…nothing to drop your jaw about, but the net result could be decent. There was some decent business done, but there was also some garbage for garbage dealing. Have the Cubs done enough now to win the NL Central? Well, no one really seems all that interested in claiming the division, so perhaps yes.
Was today enough to overcompensate for their boring, lame offseason of nothingness?
No, not by a long shot. Let’s recap what went down and analyze it all.
Chicago Cubs MLB trade deadline day deals
-Right-handed reliever David Phelps and infielder/outfielder Tony Kemp added to the 25-man roster.
-Right-handed pitcher Duane Underwood Jr. sent down to Triple-A Iowa
-Phelps acquired yesterday along with cash money (C.R.E.A.M.) from the Toronto Blue Jays for minor league right-handed pitcher Thomas Hatch.
-Kemp acquired earlier today from the Houston Astros in exchange for catcher Martín Maldonado.
-Left-handed pitcher Brad Wieck from the San Diego Padres for right-handed reliever Carl Edwards Jr. and international bonus money.
https://twitter.com/PaulMBanks/status/1156717594205925377
-outfielder Nicholas Castellanos and a cash consideration from the Detroit Tigers for minor league right-handed pitchers Alex Lange and Paul Richan. RHP Oscar De La Cruz was designated for assignment.
And with Edwards off to San Diego, the man who achieved a hold in game seven of the 2016 World Series is now gone, joining Mike Montgomery, who earned the save in the biggest single game in Cubs history. (The winning pitcher in that game was extremely awesome human being, totally stand up guy and model citizen Aroldis Chapman, who has been off the team for some time now.
Montgomery was traded for Maldonado 16 days ago. Combined between the Royals and Cubs, Maldonado hit .217 with 15 doubles, six home runs and 17 RBI in 78 games this season. He was 0-for-11 in the four games he played for the team this season. So whatever, good bye and good luck.
Edwards had a solid career with Chicago, he’ll be missed for sure, and we all wish him well with the Padres. However, he’s had a bit of a rough season and he even had a stint in the minors due to extreme ineffectiveness at the beginning of the season.
Kemp is a versatile utility guy who can plug holes, although he’ll do so in an uninspiring fashion. His offensive numbers aren’t really anything to salivate over.
As for Castellanos, he’s tied for the MLB lead in doubles, and he’s hitting .273 with 11 homers, 37 RBI and a .790 OPS this season. His acquisition might have been the highlight of the day.
Wieck went 0-1 with eight holds and a 6.57 ERA in 30 relief appearances with San Diego this season.
Phelps has no record with four holds and a 3.63 ERA in 17 appearances with Toronto this season. He has limited foes to a .222 batting average this year.
Overall, we can say this about trade deadline day, Daniel Descalso (at least temporarily, as he’s on the DL) and Addison Russell (demoted to AAA) are no longer on the team…for the time being. Those are certainly great things.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
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