A semi-regular feature showing how former Cub players are doing.
I recently changed my methodology to try to include more players who never made it to the majors with the Cubs, so that players like Brett Bateman would be included.
Ex-Cubs Position players:
Best Hitter and Biggest Surprise:
Willson Contreras beat out Kyle Schwarber, despite Schwarber tying PCA for the MLB lead in home runs. Contreras had some injury issues, but finished with an OPS over .900 and a 151 wRC+. Cody Bellinger also had a very solid year.
Best Fielder:
Luis Torrens did not hit much, but his play at catcher for the Mets helped him accrue a 2.1 WAR.
Best Overall:
Issac Parades – Cam Smith was supposed to be the big prize in the Kyle Tucker Trade, but Parades was the top ex-Cub hitter by WAR with a 4.5. He was supposed to be built for Houston’s home Park, but the disparity in OPS and wRC+ from Home and away (.834 vs.780 .OPS and 137 vs 123 OPS) were not that different.
Best Newcomer * Best Value for a trade deadline guy
Brett Bateman is a great defender with speed, but was blocked in the majors by PCA. But the 1.9 WAR he put up in only 41 games is impressive. I’ll be interested to see what he can do in 2027 with more at bats.
Biggest Disappointment
Kyle Tucker is making an absurd amount of money, and only produced a 0.9 WAR. He has a chance to redeem himself in the playoffs, though.
Worst Newcomer
Owen Caissie was traded before the season, and had a great first few weeks. But his strikeouts and poor defense led to a -0.5 WAR. Still, he turned out better than the player he was traded for.
Least Value for Trade Deadline guy
Moises Ballesteros was absolutely brutal after going to the Angels. I sometime have mixed feeling about ex-Cubs, but I’m rooting for Ballesteros to bounce back in 2027.
Ex-Cubs Pitchers
| Name | Team | RA9-WAR | WAR | G | IP | ERA | xERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dylan Cease | TOR | 5.4 | 5.5 | 29 | 169.0 | 2.40 | 2.92 |
| Paul Blackburn | NYY | 2.9 | 0.7 | 62 | 85.0 | 1.69 | 3.68 |
| Michael Soroka | ARI | 2.9 | 2.7 | 22 | 116.0 | 3.41 | 4.10 |
| Aroldis Chapman | BOS | 2.3 | 1.6 | 53 | 51.2 | 1.92 | 2.64 |
| Trevor Megill | MIL | 1.8 | 2.5 | 63 | 61.2 | 2.63 | 2.63 |
| Sean Newcomb | CHW | 1.7 | 1.7 | 60 | 90.1 | 3.09 | 4.27 |
| Aaron Civale | 2 Tms | 1.6 | 0.8 | 34 | 111.1 | 4.20 | 4.33 |
| Anthony Kay | CHW | 1.4 | 1.3 | 33 | 158.0 | 4.44 | 5.05 |
| Hayden Wesneski | HOU | 1.1 | 1.2 | 11 | 61.0 | 3.25 | 3.79 |
| Jason Adam | SDP | 0.9 | -0.2 | 38 | 34.1 | 2.62 | 3.77 |
| Bryan Hudson | CHW | 0.8 | 1.3 | 70 | 67.1 | 3.74 | 3.18 |
| Brooks Raley | 2 Tms | 0.8 | 0.5 | 61 | 52.2 | 3.25 | 3.96 |
| Jose Cuas | KCR | 0.5 | 0.4 | 24 | 23.1 | 2.31 | 5.40 |
| Trevor Williams | 2 Tms | 0.4 | 0.2 | 15 | 28.2 | 3.14 | 3.83 |
| Mark Leiter Jr. | ATH | 0.3 | 0.6 | 36 | 33.2 | 4.28 | 4.22 |
| Cam Sanders | 2 Tms | 0.3 | 0.5 | 28 | 29.1 | 4.60 | 3.84 |
| Tommy Nance | 2 Tms | 0.3 | 0.3 | 57 | 59.2 | 3.92 | 4.43 |
| Brad Keller | PHI | 0.3 | 0.2 | 32 | 31.1 | 4.02 | 3.35 |
| Carl Edwards Jr. | NYM | 0.2 | 0.0 | 2 | 6.0 | 1.50 | 2.77 |
| Nate Pearson | 2 Tms | 0.2 | 0.2 | 42 | 46.0 | 4.11 | 4.38 |
| Pierce Johnson | CIN | 0.2 | -0.1 | 56 | 48.2 | 4.62 | 4.90 |
| Brooks Kriske | ATH | 0.1 | 0.1 | 2 | 2.2 | 0.00 | 2.47 |
| Manuel Rodríguez | TBR | 0.0 | -0.1 | 6 | 6.2 | 2.70 | 5.35 |
| Michael Fulmer | 2 Tms | 0.0 | 0.0 | 15 | 13.2 | 3.29 | 3.76 |
| Codi Heuer | CLE | 0.0 | 0.1 | 8 | 9.2 | 4.66 | 4.82 |
| Jeremiah Estrada | SDP | 0.0 | 0.6 | 33 | 31.0 | 3.48 | 3.41 |
| Eli Morgan | KCR | 0.0 | -0.3 | 16 | 19.1 | 5.12 | 7.28 |
| Shawn Armstrong | CLE | 0.0 | 0.0 | 41 | 35.1 | 4.58 | 4.19 |
| Richard Lovelady | 2 Tms | -0.2 | -0.5 | 38 | 35.0 | 4.11 | 5.70 |
| Yovanny Cruz | 2 Tms | -0.2 | -0.2 | 17 | 16.0 | 5.06 | 5.38 |
| Charlie Barnes | 2 Tms | -0.2 | -0.2 | 5 | 13.0 | 6.92 | 7.48 |
| Keegan Thompson | COL | -0.2 | 0.2 | 5 | 12.0 | 8.25 | 7.64 |
| Craig Kimbrel | 3 Tms | -0.3 | 0.1 | 46 | 46.0 | 4.50 | 4.22 |
| DJ Herz | WSN | -0.3 | -0.2 | 2 | 7.0 | 10.29 | 11.80 |
| Taylor Rogers | MIN | -0.4 | 0.2 | 65 | 60.1 | 4.33 | 4.10 |
| Caleb Kilian | 2 Tms | -0.6 | 0.2 | 49 | 47.2 | 4.91 | 3.56 |
| Andrew Kittredge | BAL | -0.6 | 0.5 | 55 | 48.1 | 3.54 | 4.00 |
| Michael Rucker | SEA | -0.7 | 0.1 | 37 | 43.2 | 5.56 | 3.91 |
| Chris Martin | TEX | -0.7 | -0.2 | 16 | 14.0 | 9.00 | 7.68 |
| Hunter Bigge | TBR | -0.7 | 0.0 | 18 | 19.1 | 6.98 | 4.08 |
| Brendon Little | TOR | -0.8 | -0.2 | 30 | 28.1 | 6.35 | 3.32 |
| Tom Cosgrove | WSN | -0.9 | -0.2 | 18 | 16.1 | 7.71 | 4.35 |
| Alex Lange | KCR | -1.5 | -1.1 | 59 | 60.0 | 6.75 | 5.41 |
Best Starter
Dylan Cease lapped the field with a 5.4 RA9-WAR and a 2.40 ERA. Despite his heroics, the Blue Jays finished 5th in the AL East. Michal Soroka has a strong year for the Diamondbacks as the runner-up.
Best Reliever and Biggest Surprise
Paul Blackburn has a very low WAR, but his 1.69 ERA over 85 innings with the Yankees led to a 2.9 RA9-WAR, which I greatly prefer to WAR when measuring relievers. Aroldis Chapman and Trevor Megill were the closers in contention.
Worst Pitcher
Alex Lange – who the Cubs gave up in the Justin Wilson trade year ago, and also played for the Tigers, had a -1.5 RA9-WAR and -1.1 WAR in 60 innings for the Royals as a reliever. Those were the worst numbers for any reliever with that many innings.
Biggest Disappointment
Brad Keller was a hero for the Cubs in 2025, but was not able to provide the Phillies with the same magic, and will not be on the Postseason roster.
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