Who Won the Trade – Year 2 of the Epstein/Hoyer Rebuild (2013)

A continuing series examining past Cubs trades, and whether they moved the needle to creating a winning team.

The Epstein/Hoyer Rebuild – Year 2

In year 1, the Cubs added Anthony Rizzo and Kyle Hendricks. But there were many more moves to make to help build a contending roster. Although, there were almost no trades in the off-season between 2012 and 2013. And no trades in the offseason between 2013 and 2014.

Date: February 18, 2013
Cubs trade: Tony Campana (-0.3)
Diamondbacks trade: Jesus Castillo (n/a) and Erick Leal (n/a)
WAR comparison: Cubs 0.0 – Diamondbacks -0.3 (Cubs 0.3)
Intangibles: None
Analysis: Campana was a speedster who couldn’t hit. He played for the Dbacks in 2013 and part of 2014, which was his last season. The Cubs received a couple of minor leaguers who never saw the majors.
https://www.espn.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/14922/cubs-trade-campana-for-pitching-prospects
He did have one great play with the Cubs:

Date: June 11, 2013
Cubs trade: Ian Dickson (n/a)
Nationals trade: Henry Rodriguez (-0.1)
WAR comparison: Nationals 0.0 – Cubs -0.1 (Cubs -0.1)
Intangibles: None
Analysis: No…not that Henry Rodriguez (who played for the cubs from 1998-2000) or another Henry Rodriguez who played for the Reds at the same time

Date: July 2, 2013
Cubs trade: Steve Clevenger (0.2) and Scott Feldman (0.6)
Orioles trade: Jake Arrieta (20.0) and Pedro Strop (7.0)
Note: I am not including Arrieta’s or Strop’s WAR after leaving and returning
WAR comparison: Cubs 27 – Orioles 0.8 (Cubs 26.2)
Intangibles: Arrieta and Strop were both big parts of multiple playoff teams and the World Series teams – where Arrieta won games 2 and 6. In 2015 he won the Cy Young, the NL Wild Card game and pitched 2 no-hitters. Strop was a solid releiver for several seasons. Clevenger went on to send out some controversial Tweets that ended his career
Analysis: This was probably the trade that defined the rebuild. The Cubs traded a couple of spare parts for two reclamation projects who turned out to be incredible. There are trades where both sides benefit, there are unbalanced trades, and then there are fleecing’s, where one side gets all the benefit. This was a fleecing.. Arrieta had one of the best 2-season runs as a starter in Cubs history.
And let’s not forget Pedro Strop. In 17 postseason innings he only gave up 4 earned runs. From 2013 to 2018, his ERAs were 2.83, 2.21, 2.91, 2.85 and 2.26. His injury in 2018 was a big blow to the Cubs bullpen:
Here is what ESPN had to say about the trade at the time:
https://www.espn.com/chicago/mlb/story/_/id/9444795/baltimore-orioles-acquire-scott-feldman-deal-chicago-cubs

Date: July 2, 2013
Dodgers trade: Matt Guerrier (0.3)
Cubs trade: Carlos Marmol (0.3)
WAR comparison: Cubs 0.3- Dodgers 0.3 (Cubs 0.0)
Intangibles: Marmol pitched 3.2 scoreless innings in 2 games in the 2013 NLCS, and finished his MLB career in Florida the following season. The Cubs also got some cash in the deal…which appeared to be financially motivated
Analysis: Carlos Marmol was a dominant reliever for several years, going from unhittable (but sometimes wild) setup man to the closer. But his time had passed, and the Cubs wanted to dump his salary. Matt Guerrier was just a guy to get them some innings in the bullpen.
https://www.espn.com/chicago/mlb/story/_/id/9442602/carlos-marmol-chicago-cubs-dealt-los-angeles-dodgers-matt-guerrier

Date: July 8, 2013
Cubs trade: Scott Hairston (-0.9) and cash
Nationals trade: Ivan Pineyro (n/a)
WAR comparison: Cubs 0.0 – Nationals -0.9 (Cubs +0.9)
Intangibles: None
Analysis: Another trade where the Cubs dumped a non-productive player on another team.

Date: July 22, 2013
Cubs trade: Matt Garza (-0.1)
Rangers trade: Carl Edwards Jr. (2.7) and Justin Grimm (1.0) and Mike Olt (-0.7) and Neil Ramirez (1.5)
WAR comparison: Cubs 4.5 – Rangers -0.1 (Cubs +4.4)
Intangibles: Garza went 4-5 with a 4.38 ERA for a 91-win Rangers team that just came up short of the playoffs, finishing a game behind the two wild card teams. Edwards was the most successful of the return, and pitched in the 10th inning of Game 7 of the 2016 World Series – but couldn’t quite finish it. He ultimately pitched in 15 postseason games for the Cubs, doing well with the exception of the 2016 NLDS against Washington.
Analysis: The Cubs gave away Chris Archer and Robinson Chirinos (among others) to get Garza, as Larry Himes was trying to save his job. They did not get the same value when trading him away, but he was in his free agency year. It seemed to be a pretty good haul, and Mike Olt was looked upon as the key guy in the deal for the Cubs. Unfortunately, he never hit in the majors. They did get several solid years from Edwards, and a few bright spots from Grimm and Ramirez.
https://www.espn.com/dallas/mlb/story/_/id/9500209/texas-rangers-trade-matt-garza-chicago-cubs

Date: July 22, 2013
Cubs trade: Alfonso Soriano (0.9)
Yankees trade: Corey Black (n/a)
WAR comparison: Yankees 0.9 – Cubs 0.0 (Cubs -0.9)
Intangibles: Soriano did well for the Yankees in 2013 with a 2.1 WAR, 17 HRs and 50 RBIs in only 58 games. But the Yankees finished 3rd in the AL East and did not make the playoffs. His numbers cratered in 2014, as he finished with a -1.2 WAR in his last season in the majors.
Analysis: Soriano was one of the key hitters for the Cubs playoff teams in 2007 and 2008. But his production fell off, and he did not have any value left for a losing Cubs team when he was dealt away.

Amazingly, the Cubs would not make another trade until July of 2014.

Updated Scorecard:
Gained WAR: 96.3
Lost WAR: 24
NET: +72.3