It has been a difficult week for Cubs fans as the team had a fire sale and traded away the core that brought them a World Series title. Fan favorites and legends of the franchise Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, and Javier Baez were all traded in the span of 24 hours this past Thursday and Friday along with Craig Kimbrel, the Cubs lockdown closer.
Anthony Rizzo
The first domino to fall came on Thursday evening when it was announced that Anthony Rizzo was on his way to the New York Yankees in exchange for two prospects. Rizzo, the captain of the Cubs and arguably the most important player to ever put on a Cubs uniform, was expected to be a Cub for life by many, but that dream was cut short with the trade to the Yankees. During his time with the club, Rizzo hit 242 home runs, drove in 784 RBI, and slashed .272/.372/.489. Rizzo also won four gold gloves, a silver slugger was a four-time all-star, and a World Series champion. The prospects the Cubs received from New York are outfielder Kevin Alcantara and right-handed pitcher Alexander Vizcaino. Alcantara was the ninth-rated prospect in the Yankees above average farm system, and even though he is a ways away from the show he has a lot of upside with his glove and in the power department.
Kris Bryant
Kris Bryant was traded the following Friday right down to the wire of the 3 pm central deadline, heading out west to join the first-place Giants. Over his Cubs career, Bryant slashed .279/.378/.508 and was a four-time all-star with 160 home runs. The other half of “Bryzzo” was also deemed by many to be a Cub for life. After winning rookie of the year in 2015, followed by winning NL MVP and a World Series title, the Cubs surely would not let him play for anyone else, right? Wrong. Bryant was willing to sign an extension with the Cubs after this season, voicing it many times throughout the last two-plus years as trade rumors have whirled around him since 2018. Bryant, who was public about being frustrated with all the trade rumors surrounding him, was happy to be going to a team like the Giants.
Bryant told Cubs President Jed Hoyer after the trade, “I told him thank you for trading me to a team like this.”
The Cubs got two prospects back in the deal for Bryant, outfielder Alexander Canario, and right-handed pitcher Caleb Killian. Canario was the top prospect in the return for the Cubs and has a lot of raw power at the Low-A level and has turned it on as of late. He will be a top-15 guy in the Cubs system but is another guy who is far off from the big leagues. Killian has had a great year in Double-A and has a lot of high upside as a possible middle of the rotation arm.
Javy Baez
Javier Baez was the least likely of the three of himself, Rizzo, and Bryant to be traded away, but the Mets made an offer the Cubs could not refuse. “El Mago” as he was known was one of the most exciting players in the Cubs long history, and one of the most exciting players in the league since he’s been up here. Known for his incredible defense, crazy power, and ability to make something out of nothing on the base paths, Baez will look to create that same magic for the first-place Mets. Playing both second base and shortstop during his time in Chicago, Baez will play second base in New York when his friend Francisco Lindor gets back from injury, but will man shortstop in the meantime. Baez finished his Cubs career with a .262/.303/.474 slash line and 140 home runs. He was a two-time all-star and won a gold glove and silver slugger.
The player coming back to the Cubs is outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong. Crow-Armstrong was the Mets first-round pick in 2020 and was a great return for the Cubs. He had an injury to his non-throwing shoulder, which is why the Mets were willing to part with him. But if he can come back to full-strength after surgery, he could become a star for the Cubs and should be a top-100 prospect when the new rankings come out.
Craig Kimbrel
Craig Kimbrel was the big “non-core” piece to be traded as he will switch sides of town and play for the White Sox. Kimbrel’s two-and-a-half-year career with the Cubs was shaky after he signed in late May of 2019, coming off a World Series title with the Boston Red Sox. Kimbrel had an up and down (mostly down) Cubs career until 2021, becoming one of if not the best closer in the game. Virtually untouchable in the ninth inning, Kimbrel compiled 23 saves in 25 chances with a 0.49 ERA and a 0.71 WHIP. The return on Kimbrel is second baseman Nick Madrigal and right-handed pitcher Codi Heuer. Madrigal was a huge get, a guy who was having a great season for the White Sox before he had a season-ending knee injury. The third overall pick in 2018 hits for contact and plays a great second base. He will be a main cog at the top of the Cubs lineup for years to come.
Other cubs traded were Joc Pederson, Ryan Tepera, Andrew Chafin, Trevor Williams, and Jake Marisnick. Nobody could have expected this abrupt ending to the greatest era of Cubs baseball we have ever seen, but that’s how professional sports work. Money is such a key part of everything a club does, and the Cubs decided to take this route after offering deals that were rejected by Rizzo, Bryant, and Baez.
“We made offers to everyone that I believe will stand up exceptionally well. We weren’t able to reach deals. Does that frustrate me? It does. But I have to be honest: I know we put our best foot forward,” Hoyer said.
There will be a lot of new faces on the North Side of Chicago in the coming months and years as the rebuild is underway. Cubs fans are used to losing, going 108 years between World Series titles from 1908 to 2016, but winning was a nice change of pace. With the prospects they were able to acquire to go along with some other good names and money coming off the books, this rebuild should be quicker compared to the Theo Epstein rebuild or others that smaller market teams are currently going through.
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