The Good, Bad, & Ugly: A Look Back at Some Cubs Trade Deadline Deals

July 31^st - major League Baseball's trade deadline, this can be a time of great excitement if your team is in the Playoff hunt as they could be on the verge of adding that key player who will give them the competitive edge and carry them on to October. Or, the deadline could bring utter dread if your team is out of the playoff picture and a favorite player could be on his way out of town.

These deadline deals are made for a number of reasons. Many teams need to shed payroll so high-priced veterans become liabilities and are moved. Other teams are building for the future so a trade is made in an effort to bring in prospects to revitalize a depleted farm system. A lucky few teams are looking to add a veteran pitcher or hitter to fill lineup holes and augment the team for a Playoff run. Whatever the reason the trade deadline is a time of frenzied rumors and nervous activity every season.

With that in mind I thought it would be fun to take a look back at some of my favorite team, the Chicago Cubs' trade deadline deals; both the good and the bad.

Probably the most infamous Cubs deadline deal took place in 1964. The Cubs traded Lou Brock to the St. Louis Cardinals for veteran pitcher Ernie Broglio. At the time Brock was a struggling outfield prospect and Broglio was a solid starting pitcher who had won 21 games in 1960. On paper it looked like a solid move by the Cubs, but Broglio quickly developed a sore arm and only won 7 games in a little over two seasons with the Cubs. Brock on the other hand, went on to help the Cardinals win the World Series in 1964 and eventually became baseball's all-time leader in stolen bases. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1985.

A better memory for the Cubs was the 1984 Rick Sutcliffe deal. The Cubs sent Mel Hall and Joe Carter to the Cleveland Indians for former Rookie of the Year, Rick Sutcliffe. Hall became a respectable Major League hitter and Carter became a perennial All Star, but the Cubs still came out on top. Sutcliffe went on to go 16-1 in 1984 leading the Cubs to the Playoffs for the first time in nearly 40 years on his way to being unanimously voted the Cy Young Award winner. In 1987 Sutcliffe posted 18 wins and finished second in the Cy Young voting. Two years later he won 16 games for the Cubs as the team won its second Division title in 5 years.

In 2003 the Cubs dealt utility infielder Jose Hernandez, minor league pitcher Matt Bruback and a player to be named later (who turned out to be 2B prospect Bobby Hill) to the Pittsburgh Pirates for veteran outfielder, Kenny Lofton and 25-year old 3B, Aramis Ramirez. Lofton took over in center field after Corey Patterson was lost for the year with a knee injury. He was able to spark the Cub's offense from the leadoff spot while also providing much needed veteran leadership to a fairly young team who were surprisingly in Playoff contention.

Ramirez was just starting to come into his own as a player, and the move from Pittsburgh to Chicago seemed to ignite a young Ramirez who stabilized the third base position; a position the Cubs struggled filling since the departure of Ron Santo. Lofton and Ramirez helped the Cubs make the Playoffs in 2003 where the team came within five outs of their first World Series appearance since 1945. Ramirez also made Cubs; history when he hit a grand slam against the Florida Marlins in Game 4 0of the National League Championship Series; the first ever grand slam in the Playoffs by a Chicago Cubs' player.

The very next season the Cubs pulled off what many thought at the time was a major steal. Ina complicated four team trade the Cubs acquired fan favorite and All Star shortstop, Nomar Garciaparra and top outfield prospect, Matt Murton from the Boston Red Sox. This deal never lived up to the hype however. Nomar could not stay healthy long enough to make any kind of an impact, and his tenure with the Cubs was forgettable. Murton was a decent hitter who showed flashes of promise, but he never lived up to his potential. The Cubs stalled down the stretch in 2004 while the Red Sox went on to make baseball history by overcoming a 0-3 deficit to the New York Yankees on their way to a World Series title.

Lastly, many fans will remember the Rich Harden trade from a couple of years ago. The Milwaukee Brewers and the Cubs were in a heated divisional battle when the brewers were able to acquire C.C. Sabathia. Knowing his team needed a boost and another starting pitcher Cubs' General Manager, Jim Hendry countered with a trade for potentially electric starting pitcher, Rich Harden. The Cubs had to give up prospects Eric Patterson, Sean Gallagher, and Josh Donaldson along with Matt Murton. In return they received veteran right handed pitcher, Chad Gaudin, and highly touted pitcher, Rich Harden. With dominant stuff Harden helped lead the Cubs back to the Playoffs though his inability to pitch deep into games while also having a continually tender arm became a hindrance. None pf the prospects the Cubs gave up amounted to much in the Majors. Harden did help the Cubs to the Playoffs in back-to-back seasons so I have to say the Cubs came out the winner of this deal.

Trade deadline deals are hit and miss. In a way it is like a baseball version of playing the lottery as teams hope for a big score. The Cubs certainly have had a colorful trade deadline history. Who knows what the future will hold. The key move for a player or prospect which could put the Cubs back in World Series contention could be right around the corner.

ESPN Page 2, "Worst baseball deadline trades", Espn.go.com

"Rick Sutcliffe", Wikipedia.org

Associated Press, "Cubs acquire Lofton, Ramirez as Pirates clean house", Cbssports.com

"Cubs trade four players to A's for pitchers Harden, Gaudin", Espn.go.com