At and approaching the trade deadline, the Cubs dealt away nine players: Anthony Rizzo. Kris Bryant. Javier Báez. Craig Kimbrel. Andrew Chafin. Ryan Tepera. Trevor Williams. Jake Marisnick. Joc Pederson. Nine players, eight of them traded to teams heartily in the playoff race (Pederson was an early add by Atlanta back when they were below .500 and trying to decide whether to buy or sell). All of them expected to help their teams contend, to help their teams chase a championship, to be worth the cost of future prospects expended to bring their talents on board.
It’s possible only three will appear in October.
It’s possible only one will play meaningful innings.
As the deadline faded and those Friday night games began, the White Sox, A’s, Mets, Giants, and Padres were all in playoff position. Of the nine players traded, only Rizzo and Pederson were on teams outside the playoff slots, and Rizzo’s Yankees were rated 44.4% likely by FanGraphs to make the cut. We weren’t sure if Marisnick or Williams would make their playoff roster, we weren’t sure if it would be Chafin or Rizzo or both in the AL Wild Card Game, and we didn’t think Pederson would be playing October baseball, but it seemed rather certain we’d have about five Cubs in the postseason, and possibly as many as seven or eight.
Instead, we’ll likely have three.
And there’s a chance we’ll have only two.
Rizzo’s Yankees sit half a game back of the final American League playoff spot, just 39.0% likely to obtain it.
Báez and Williams’s Mets are on the verge of elimination.
Kimbrel and Tepera’s White Sox are about to clinch the Central, but Tepera’s currently on the injured list, and while he’s expected to return, it isn’t guaranteed. Kimbrel, meanwhile, has struggled in his new role as a setup man, and while he’ll likely get October innings, if things go badly he could slide quickly down the deck.
Chafin’s A’s are on the verge of elimination.
Marisnick’s Padres are on the verge of elimination, and he’s hardly played at all since the acquisition.
In Atlanta, Pederson figures to make a postseason roster, but he might get just two or three plate appearances in the NLDS, as he’s been relegated to mostly being a pinch hitter.
Even Bryant, whose Giants lead the West, could well fall into the Wild Card Game, meaning it could be one and done.
There isn’t a lot of meaning here. Báez has been one of the Mets’ best players. Pederson hasn’t done much in Atlanta. These developments haven’t been driven by the former Cubs.
But that doesn’t make it any less striking.
The Cubs cashed in on nine players at the trade deadline.
All might be done by the end of the postseason’s first weekend.
