What Did the Cubs Accomplish at the Trade Deadline?

The MLB trade deadline has officially wrapped up, and there was plenty of movement to follow. The Chicago Cubs made a few, perhaps surprising, trade deadline moves of their own.

Many thought the Cubs would be sellers ahead of the trade deadline, but that was not the case, at least not entirely. They still got rid of some important pieces, but plenty of other key players stayed in Chicago. In addition, the Cubs bought a few players, as well.

Below, we will look at each trade the Cubs made and detail how it might impact the team.

Stats updated prior to games on July 31.

Cubs Trade for Isaac Paredes

The Cubs made a big splash by acquiring Isaac Paredes from the Rays for Christopher Morel, Hunter Bigge, and Ty Johnson.

This trade came as a shock for plenty of people. The Cubs trading Christopher Morel was a surprise, as he still has several years of team control remaining.

However, Morel was batting just .199 with an OPS under .700. He did lead the team in home runs, though. It should come as no surprise that Morel homered in his first game with the Rays.

As for the prospects, Bigge made his MLB debut this season, but he has not thrown many innings at the big league level. When he did pitch, though, he did well. He struck out five batters in 3.1 innings for the Cubs, allowing just one run.

Bigge has a fastball that can reach triple digits and three different breaking balls.

Ty Johnson, on the other hand, has not made his debut. He was the Cubs’ 15th-round pick in the 2023 MLB draft out of Ball State University.

Johnson is just 22 years old and has made it to High-A. He has been working as a starter lately, and his stats between Single-A and High-A are pretty good. Opponents are batting .222 off him this season, and he has struck out 81 batters in 61 innings.

Neither Bigge nor Johnson is a top prospect, but they are solid supplementary pieces. All things considered, the Rays received a great haul for their third baseman.

Paredes is the man the Cubs wanted, and it showed with who they gave up for him. Paredes could be the everyday third baseman the Cubs were so desperate to acquire, and he is under team control until 2027.

He is only an average defender, but that is much better than what Morel was giving the team. Morel has -12 OAA at third this season, while Paredes has 0 OAA.

At the plate, Paredes is batting .243 with an OPS of .784. He has also homered 16 times this season, so the Cubs did not lose all that much power in the trade.

The major upgrade Paredes offers the Cubs, besides his defense, is his ability to make contact. His strikeout rate is in the 83rd percentile in MLB while his whiff rate is in the 88th percentile. Along with that, Paredes has a walk rate of 12.1%.

All in all, the Cubs certainly got an upgrade at the third base position.

Cubs Trade for Nate Pearson

The Cubs traded minor leaguers Yohendrick Pinango and Josh Rivera to the Blue Jays for reliever Nate Pearson. This deal was surprising for the Cubs, but the right-hander comes with plenty of upside and team control.

Pearson averages 97.5 mph on his fastball, and his strikeout rate is in the 82nd percentile this season. His mid-fives ERA is rather high, but his 4.41 xERA is more than a full run lower than his actual ERA.

The big right-hander has already made an appearance for the Cubs, and it was quite eventful:

Both Pinango and Rivera were among the Cubs’ top 30 prospects before being traded to the Blue Jays (per MLB Pipeline).

Pinango (No. 29) made it up to Double-A with the Cubs, where he encountered some struggles. At Double-A Tennessee this season, he had a .223 batting average, and his OPS was under .700.

However, in his minor league career, Pinango is batting .272 with 33 home runs in 473 games. He also features some speed, as he has stolen 74 bags in his professional career. At 22 years old, it is easy to see the upside in him.

Rivera (No. 23) was the Cubs’ third-round pick in the 2023 MLB draft. He is a middle infielder, and the Cubs have plenty of those, so it only made sense to include him in the trade.

Rivera has encountered some struggles in his first full year of pro ball, though. At Double-A Tennessee, his batting average was well under .200, and his OPS was just .537. The potential is there with Rivera, but he has some things to figure out at the plate.

Cubs Trade Mark Leiter Jr. to Yankees

The Cubs have a history of making trades with the Yankees, and this deadline was no different. They shipped Mark Leiter Jr. off to the Yankees for Jack Neely and Ben Cowles.

Leiter was the best reliever on the Cubs this season. His ERA does not show it, but his underlying stats are actually very good. He has a 13.1 K/9, and opponents are batting under .200 against him.

The thing to really look at with Leiter is his xERA, which is just 2.61. His FIP is 2.11. Leiter should give the Yankees a big boost at the back end of the bullpen.

Neely is a large pitcher with a lot of upside. He is 6-foot-8 and was taken in the 11th round of the 2021 MLB draft.

In the minor leagues this season, Neely has pitched in 31 games, tossing 41.2 total innings, with 63 strikeouts, a 1.18 WHIP, a .217 opponent batting average, and 63 strikeouts to just 16 walks.

Neely can run his fastball into the upper 90s, and he generates a lot of swings and misses. Already ranking as one of the Cubs’ top 20 prospects (per MLB Pipeline), Neely was one of the better adds for Chicago this trade deadline.

Cowles was a 10th-round pick by the Yankees in the 2021 MLB draft. He is mainly an infielder, but he can play a little outfield, as well. Cowles was in Double-A for the Yankees, and he was enjoying a very good season.

In 2024, Cowles is batting .294 with an OPS of .848. Along with that, he has nine home runs, 51 RBI, and 14 stolen bases in 88 games played. He is 24 years old, so expect a promotion (or two) for him this season.

Cowles, the team’s No. 30 prospect per MLB Pipeline, has some major upside.

Final Thoughts on the Trade Deadline

Jed Hoyer wanted to make some moves to improve the Cubs for 2025 and beyond. In that sense, the Cubs succeeded.

However, they had a few key players on the block who were ultimately not traded. One such player is Jameson Taillon. With good numbers this season and several years of team control remaining at a reasonable salary ($18MM per year), he had a lot of trade value this deadline.

Nonetheless, the Cubs should be happy with how their trade deadline played out.