While the Cubs were crushing the Pittsburgh Pirates last night at Wrigley, the front office was busy working the phones and finalizing deals with other MLB teams. By the end of the Cub’s 14-4 shellacking of the visiting Pirates, Reed Johnson, Paul Maholm and Geovany Soto had all been traded and were no longer Cubs.
What You Need to Know:
- The MLB Non-Waiver Trade Deadline ends today at 3PM, and the swift trade action that unfolded last night in the matter of an hour, is not the end of the Cub’s moves to improve the team before today’s deadline. It’s likely we’ll see a few more moves this morning with pitchers Ryan Dempster and Matt Garza as the biggest targets. Follow us on Twitter this morning as we bring you updates: @chisportsdivas
Ryan Dempster
- Cub’s catcher, Geovany Soto was the first to go, being traded to the Texas Rangers for minor league right-handed pitcher, Jacob Bringham. Soto’s trade value has deteriorated over the years with his performance as a player. Once one of the best catchers in the league, Soto’s performance at the plate has crumbled over the last few seasons as he has split time with other Cubs catcher, Steve Cleveanger.
Geovany Soto
- Left-handed pitcher, Paul Maholm and back-up outfielder and fan favorite, Reed Johnson were sent to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for pitching prospects Arodys Vizcaino and Jaye Chapman. Maholm is hands down, the most valuable player of the group traded last night to go. Maholm has been on fire as of late going 9-6 in his last 20 starts. Vizcaino is a starting pitcher with huge potential and Chapman is currently a Triple-A reliever.
- Talk about dramatic – Johnson and Soto were physically pulled out of the line-up last night and were forced to say their good-byes to teammates before heading into the clubhouse and packing it up.
- With a 3PM Trade Deadline looming, everyone is waiting to see where Ryan Dempster and Matt Garza end up. We will know in the matter of hours.
Your Take Away Piece: “I knew it would come quick, but 3 players in one hour? Wow. Maholm will be the biggest loss for sure from last night’s trades. If Garza and Dempster go too, 50% of the Cubs rotation will be gone.”
What’s Next: Cubs fans are on high-alert this morning waiting for the final cards to be played in the Trade Deadline saga. What will Jed Hoyer and Theo Epstein do next? Will Dempster go to the Dodgers? Will Garza wind up in Tornoto? Are they the last to be traded or will Alfonso Soriano and Bryan LaHair also be sent packing? Only time will tell and speculations are running wild. Check in this morning and follow us on Twitter for all the latest updates in these exciting final hours.
