Breaking: the Chicago Cubs have traded… sound familiar? If you’ve been keeping up with the 2022 MLB trade deadline it might.
Like most professional sports’ trade deadlines, this year’s MLB trade deadline was nothing short of exciting. The 2022 MLB trade deadline was on August 2 at 6 PM CST. While the Cubs and White Sox are in two completely different mindsets in what their goals are for the season, both teams couldn’t help but make some moves before Tuesday nights’ cutoff.
We might not have landed Rodon, but here’s how things went down for the Chicago Cubs and White Sox during the 2022 MLB trade deadline!
Cubs
Between our two teams, the Cubs made the most moves before the 2022 MLB trade deadline.
The first trade the Cubs made occurred last weekend when they traded relief pitcher Chris Martin for Zach McKinstry from the Dodgers. McKinstry will provide some versatile defensive depth with his ability to play multiple positions in the infield and outfield.
After the Martin deal, the Cubs next MLB trade deadline move came late in the weekend when the team sent minor-leaguer Dixon Machado to the Giants for righty pitcher, Raynel Espinal.
Once the weekend concluded, the Chicago Cubs made three more trades involving pitchers again. The first came on Monday in a trade with the Yankees where the Cubs moved Scott Effross for Hayden Wesneski. Not many pictured Effross being a moveable piece for the Cubs at the trade deadline. With that said, they clearly saw something in Wesneski to let their homegrown reliever go.
Good luck to @DRob30 in Philly!
It was a pleasure watching you pitch in a #Cubs uniform! pic.twitter.com/e3w3E2gltS
Advertisement— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) August 2, 2022
For their next trade, which occurred on deadline day, the team sent another pitcher in David Robertson to the Phillies for Ben Brown, a Double-A starting right-hander. Brown has plenty of potential and is definitely a prospect to keep your eye on as he works his way up to the Show. The last trade the Cubs made on deadline day went down with less than 10 minutes to spare. In the trade with the Mets, the team sent reliever Mychal Givens off to New York for Saul Gonzalez, another young right-handed prospect.
The most notable trade for the Cubs this year were the ones they didn’t end up making. Before the MLB trade deadline, it was heavily reported and speculated that the team was going to move Wilson Contreras and Ian Happ as part of their rebuild. But by the time the clock struck 5 on Tuesday, neither player was announced in a trade. It’s fair to say that many insiders, analysts, and fans (us included) didn’t expect the lack of moves with these two guys.
White Sox
While the Cubs stayed busy making some moves, the White Sox kept pretty quiet as the trade deadline approached. The only trade they made came on Monday, where the team moved catcher Reese McGuire to the Red Sox for left-handed pitcher, Jake Diekman. The plan for Diekman is to provide some immediate relief for the banged-up bullpen. If anyone is a winner in this trade, it’s Seby Zavala, who solidified his place as Grandal’s backup.
Despite the lack of moves, the White Sox organization made a bit of noise when Dylan Cease was named AL Pitcher of the Month for the second month in a row. He became the first White Sox pitcher to win back-to-back awards… could the Cy Young be next?
Featured Image Credit: Chicago Cubs Instagram