With all the trades that have gone down in the past 48-plus hours, the Chicago Cubs are a drastically different team. Fan favorites like Javier Baez and Kris Bryant being traded to new teams will be a hard pill to swallow.
These are players that helped bring a championship to the Chicago Cubs. They were part of a special team that ended the 108-year drought. Baez, Bryant, and Rizzo were all unable to come to an agreement with Cubs management on a new deal for some time now.
Fans knew this was always possible due to the lack of extensions for all three all-stars. That does not make it any easier to say goodbye to players that brought countless memories to the club, especially during the middle of the season.
Just a day after trading infielder Anthony Rizzo to the New York Yankees, the Cubs have now dealt two more players from the 2016 championship team. The Cubs traded infielder Javier Baez to the New York Mets and infielder Kris Bryant to the San Francisco Giants right before the trade deadline.
Pitcher Trevor Williams was also included in the Mets deal.
BREAKING: The New York Mets are finalizing a trade to acquire shortstop Javier Baez from the Chicago Cubs, sources tell ESPN. Deal is pending medicals.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 30, 2021
On the year, Javier Baez slash line is .248, .292, and a .484, with 22 homers. Baez is a two-time all-star and a gold glove winner.
Kris Bryant is a former National League MVP coming off his fourth all-star selection. On the year, Bryant is slashing .267, .358, .503.
The Cubs also traded Craig Kimbrel to the White Sox and outfielder Jake Marisnick to the San Diego Padres.
The Chicago White Sox are finalizing a deal to acquire closer Craig Kimbrel from the Chicago Cubs, sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 30, 2021
The return for all these trades is a reason to stay optimistic for the future of the Cubs. The Cubs received outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, a 19-year-old prospect recovering from shoulder surgery (non-throwing arm), in the Mets trade.
For Craig Kimbrel, the Cubs received infielder Nick Madrigal and pitcher Codi Heuer from the Chicago White Sox.
Nick Madrigal is recovering from a season ending hamstring injury on June 15. He has posted a .317 avg, .764 ops, with 32 RBI in his short 83 game career. The Cubs will have control of Madrigal till 2026. Codi Heuer has a 4-1 record with a 5.12 era on the year. Both are very young players with good potential.
In exchange for Kris Bryant, the Cubs received pitcher Caleb Killian and outfielder Alexander Canario from the San Francisco Giants. Canario is the Giants number 9 prospect, and Killian is their number 30 prospect.
The reported details of the Kris Bryant trade. #TradeDeadline pic.twitter.com/J8M7BgwmL9
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) July 30, 2021
Jed Hoyer proclaimed the Cubs to be sellers after an 11-game losing streak back in early July. Safe to say, Hoyer kept his word on that statement. With the trade deadline now passed, the Cubs traded away a total of 8 players.
A new era has begun on the Northside.