Cubs trade Colvin, LeMahieu for Stewart and Weathers
Last night, the Chicago Cubs and the Colorado Rockies completed the long rumored trade that would send Tyler Colvin packing and bring Ian Stewart back to the north side of Chicago. While this trade has upset several Cub fans who still believed in the young Colvin, the deal makes a lot of sense for both teams. The Rockies needed an outfielder and the Cubs needed a third baseman, positions both teams were able to fill with this trade.
I know that there are several Cub fans out there upset because Colvin was never given a full chance to prove what he was able to do, but in his chances he never was able to take advantage of the situation and keep the job. After his rookie year of 2010, where he hit an impressive 20 home runs but hit a lowly .254, fans had hoped he would be the man who could wrestle the starting job away from either Alfonso Soriano or Kosuke Fukudome who had both lost favor with Cub fans. As a matter of fact, I was highly in favor of giving Colvin more playing time with at least four starts a week where he would platoon with everyone in the outfield as well as Carlos Pena at first base. The thought process was Colvin gets his playing time, and everyone else has a guaranteed day off throughout the week. The idea was a win win for everyone. However, as you all know, that did not happen. Colvin was limited in his playing time, and got little chance to prove that he deserved to play more often.
The problem with Colvin, was when he was given the opportunity to play he failed to deliver and never was able to show he should be playing more. He went through a horrendous slump that saw his batting average dip well below the Mendoza Line, and even fell below .100 when he reached his lowest point on the season. When you suffer through a slump like that, and you are young, coaches tend to lose patience with you and find they have little faith in you to come through when needed. Mike Quade, being a first year manager who wanted to win as many games as he could, decided to stick with his proven players who were failing to come through when needed instead of going with a young struggling player in Colvin. I cannot blame him to be honest, even with all of their struggles Soriano and Fukudome were playing far better than Colvin. So who would have enough faith in a player who was hitting under .200 for the whole season to begin playing him every day, even when Fukudome was traded and the season was all but over? I know former Chicago White Sox Manager Ozzie Guillen did just that with Adam Dunn who almost set the record for worst batting average among qualifying players, but the difference is he was making a lot of money and you almost had to play him. Colvin was making next to nothing, and yes sadly that does play a part in things.
When you make a lot of money as Soriano and Fukudome do, you play them through their slumps and failures in hopes they are able to turn things around. When you are young and make less than a million, you tend to become the forgotten man at the end of the bench when you are in an ugly slump while being regulated to occasional pinch hitter and fill in for someone‘s off day. That is not always fair, but that happens everywhere in baseball. Fan favorite players who are still trying to grind their teeth on the job usually get lost in the shuffle when they are at their worst.
If you look at both Stewart and Colvin, their last two years in the majors almost mirror one another. Their careers almost mirror one another for that matter, even though Stewart has been in the majors three more years and has just about twice as much experience in the big leagues as Colvin. Both players are 26 years old and both are former first round picks who have yet to live up to their expectations. In the last two seasons, they both hit in the mid .250s in 2010 with 18 and 20 homers respectively, and then had a massive drop off the following years hitting in the .150s and losing their power. Both men were shuffled back and forth between the majors and minors throughout the year and is likely why they were both made available this off season, especially Colvin who was once again the odd man out.
With the signing of David DeJesus to play Right Field, Colvin at best would have been considered as the fourth or fifth outfielder on the Cubs roster. That would be the case even if Soriano or Marlon Byrd were traded because Brett Jackson is the next man in line for a position when there is an opening. Colvin had no spot on this team, and quite frankly never did much to grab the job and claim the role for himself. He earned more playing time after 2010, but in 2011 he never did anything to show they should continue to give him as much time as fans thought he should have been given. That is why this deal makes sense from the Cubs perspective, even if you are disappointed that they traded away one of your favorite young players.
In essence, the Cubs traded away a Colvin who could play the outfield for one that could play third base. Offensively speaking, Colvin and Stewart are the same player. The main difference is the position they play, and Stewart plays a much harder position to fill and has much better defense. The hope for the Cubs, as well as with the Rockies, is that these players will benefit from a change in scenery and be able to get their careers on track.
In addition to Colvin, the Cubs also sent DJ LeMahieu to the Rockies, a player I had pegged as the starting third baseman going into 2012, with the Cubs receiving Casey Weathers. These are both throw in players as they are both minor leaguers who have yet to start their major league careers. LeMahieu is only 23 though, as opposed to Weathers who is also 26 years of age like the two main pieces in the trade, and is also a former first round pick of the Rockies. With Stewart in the mix now and more than likely the starting third baseman, LeMahieu was expendable. In return we get a first round talent pitcher (though the Cubs thought Colvin was first round worthy) who was one of the Rockies top 10 prospects. Some scouts have compared him to Carlos Marmol, having electric stuff and high strike out numbers, but absolutely awful control.
Weathers is coming off Tommy John surgery after 2008, missing all of 2009, and control is usually the last thing to come back. He will likely be at least a year or maybe two away from being ready to make his major league debut, unless something clicks for him this off season and Spring training. The most likely destination for him will be in the bullpen when he reaches the major leaves and possibly has a future as a closer. His pitches consist of a fastball in the mid 90s and a nasty slider. Like I said, another Marmol, tons of upside if he is ever able to get command of all his pitches. His strikeout numbers are even close to Marmol, sending people back to the dugout with at least 10 strikeouts per nine inning average.
Overall, despite what many fans feel about Colvin and LeMahieu, I believe that the Cubs won this trade though things are pretty much even for both sides. This may not be the blockbuster trade that many fans were hoping for, but this is a good start.
