Some thoughts on the trade deadline

I was on vacation and away from my laptop when the trade deadline went down. But I was following Twitter quite closely, and got to see the breaking news of Gausman, Garrett, Zeferjahn, Holmes and Taylor. Plus the premature announcement of Detmers.

I always thought the Cubs would get 2 or 3 pitchers, but I though they would focus on the bullpen, and avoid overpays for any starters. Well, I was dead wrong. The Cubs got 2 rental starters, a hard throwing reliever, a lottery ticket swingman, and a right-handed hitting outfielder.

By getting two starters, the Cubs have the flexibility to move a couple of guys into the bullpen. And while Garrett is with the major league team today, I think he’ll spend most of his time in Iowa as a couple of injured players return.

Ultimately, I’m pleasantly surprised by the aggression shown by the front office. The prospect cost was expensive, but the Cubs are a big-market team that does not normally count on prospects to carry them. They have established players at all their infield positions, meaning a guy like Jefferson Rojas was seen as tradable. I’m not going to say expendable, because none of the prospects they traded were expendable. But the Cubs chose to cash in on the value they had right now to bolster a contending team.

Rojas was the biggest prospect to lose, making Clay Holmes an expensive rental. But Holmes might turn out to be the #1 starter for the Cubs down the stretch and into the playoffs. Getting a guy like that will not ever be cheap. Gausman was much less expensive, but also has a lower ceiling for short-term performance.

For a team that does not like to spend too much on relievers, Zeferjahn was an interesting move. Moises Ballesteros and Mason McGwire were an expensive pair to give up, but Zeferjahn immediately has the best stuff in the bullpen at the moment (and the 2nd-best stuff in the Palencia gets back). I really thought Ballesteros would be a big part of the team to start the season, and even after his struggles leading him to get sent back to Iowa, I though the Cubs would want his bat and ability to be a 3rd catcher down the stretch. But with Owen Ayers looking like the catcher of the future, the Cubs decided to move him now for a guy who should be a high-leverage arm for the next few seasons.

Relievers can be up and down one season to the next (see Maton, Phil), so this is a risky move. But having someone provide high 90s in the late innings is something we have not seen much of for the Cubs this season.

Taylor could be a good addition, as Ian Happ has really struggled against lefties and he could also be a DH option.

I feel like Braxton Garrett will not spend too much time in the majors, barring a new set of injuries. But he should be an interesting arm, with so many free agents heading into next season.

Some of these prospects the Cubs traded away will be good and some will not. But getting value for them now is not a bad strategy. Time will tell if these trades were good, bad or indifferent, as GMs get judged on the outcome of these things — not whether it was the right decision at the time. It’s a harsh way to judge, but that’s the nature of the game.