It was seconds away from a bloodbath in Chicago media and throughout Cubs fan pages. Early in the day the Cubs made a baby move, sending catcher Martin Maldonado to the Houston Astros for Tony Kemp. Then about five minutes after the 3:00 PM Central time deadline, Ken Rosenthal announced that the Cubs landed Nick Castellanos from the Detroit Tigers.
Kemp is very much a Joe Maddon type of player. A versatile dude that has played all three outfield spots and second base. He handles the stick, has playoff experience, has had some big at bats, and can fit into that utility/pinch hotspot that the club has mostly missed this season.
He’s not a speedster, nor a leadoff type, although he’ll put the bat on the ball and take walks if needed.
What I like most about this move is grabbing a crafty type from a Houston organization that seems to build crafty types. The Cubs need that kind of player in this organization.
Nick Castellanos is the get. He’s the guy that has the ability to add offense, immediately. He’s a .800 OPS bat. He is a doubles machine, hitting 46 last season and was leading the AL in doubles with 37 this season.
Castellanos was a former first round pick in the 2010 draft. While this is a rental, he’s well worth the investment (Alex Lange and Paul Richan). There were mixed results on what Lange could become, and with him in Double-A with an ERA in the high 3’s, he was a far away project. Richan is another Tennessee Smokie with an equally bad ERA. Lange could end up being a player, but time will tell.
He isn’t a big power bat, meaning, he’s not going to hit 30 or more homers for anyone. He can drive the ball out of a park though. He can also drive guys in, totaling 101 RBI in 2017 and 89 in 2018.
But why he’s in Chicago is to be that big piece against left handed pitching. Over his career he slashed .300/.354/.514 against southpaws. While he strikes out around 25% against righties, he only K’s around 20% against lefties.
The benefit he gives the Cubs is a guy that can mash those lefties and the ability to sub out Kyle Schwarber or Jason Heyward. Now, no one will be impressed with his glove, as Schwarber is likely a better all around defensive option, but he will certainly earn his time because of his bat.
While he hasn’t spent much time there since 2017, he can also offer the Cubs an option at third base as well.
What I like about Castellanos is the ability, especially after Ben Zobrist gets here, for Maddon to load up with right-handed hitters AND have guys like Ian Happ, Robel Garcia, Jason Heyward, and Kyle Schwarber come off the bench late.
Sunday best. 🚀#MotorOn pic.twitter.com/eWRPSHPZYV
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) July 21, 2019
A somewhat sentimental move, mostly cause I love the guy even though the results haven’t been there, Carl Edwards Jr was sent to the San Diego Padres for Brad Wieck.
Wieck was a 29th round selection in the 2012 draft. The lefty is under control until the 2025 season. In 30 games in 2019, Wieck has a 6.57 ERA and has given up 7 bombs on the 110 batters he’s faced. That’s saying something as he doesn’t exactly play in a hitter friendly park out there in San Diego. He’s a lefty, but doesn’t get lefties out.
His fastball tops at around 95, but averages 94 on the gun. His slider seems to be ineffective, and he sports a curve that he rarely tosses. It is possible that he could benefit from some advanced high-speed camera work, something Cubs staff believe in. But, I wouldn’t anticipate him spending much time on the big league roster in 2019.
It is yet to be determined, but Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer put together a quality effort at the mid-season to improve the team. They started with signing Craig Kimbrel. That’s a potential Hall of Fame player that they beat several teams to. Whether it’s age, fatigue, dead-arm, or something else to explain his issues are yet to be seen, but that is a championship level move from the executive team.
Then the Cubs grabbed Martin Maldonado to cover a week and a half stretch – then to deal him for Kemp. This is a move that covered a potential vulnerability. That’s what great GM’s do.
The Cubs then acquired Derek Holland. A wise-cracking LOOGY that can solve some of the Cubs lefty-lefty issues.
The Cubs would then add David Phelps, a potentially low risk high reward guy that has a track record of success, and is starting to build back up after returning from Tommy John surgery. He’s equally as good against lefties as he is against righties, and can be an asset to what has been a leaky bullpen.
Then today the Cubs land Kemp and Castellanos at the deadline. Two players that round out a roster. The talent to walk away with the NL Central is now in the Cubs clubhouse and this doesn’t mention the fact that Zobrist and his leadership and baseball IQ will return soon and Cole Hamels, one of the most clutch pitchers in this era will return as well.
While many championships have been lost on paper, the talent is there. It’s time for the players to prove that this isn’t a paper championship team.
