Inside The Cubs

Chicago Cubs Historic 2021 Teardown Has Produced Disappointingly Low Results

The Chicago Cubs sold off some major pieces back in 2021 and it has produced only two real standout players.
Dylan Sanders|
Apr 13, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (4) celebrates after hitting a triple against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the ninth inning of the game at Dodger Stadium.
Apr 13, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (4) celebrates after hitting a triple against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the ninth inning of the game at Dodger Stadium. | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

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Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs are a few years removed from their last major transformation and only have a couple of players to show for it.

At the 2021 MLB trade deadline, the Cubs traded away Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Javier Baez for a handful of prospects. Two players from those trades have turned out to be successful projects.

Rizzo was traded to the New York Yankees for Alexander Vizcaino and Kevin Alcantara. Bryant was traded to the San Francisco Giants for Alexander Canario and Caleb Kilian. Baez was sent to the New York Mets along with Trevor Wiliams for Pete Crow-Armstrong.

Among the players Chicago recieved, only Crow-Armstrong and Alcantara look to be solid additions.

The Bryant trade looks to have been a fail for both sides. His Incredibly steep decline didn't start until the year following that move but he didn't play fantastic for the Giants and subsequently left.

Canario is no longer with Chicago and Kilian has a career 9.22 ERA.

Crow-Armstrong at least has true superstar potential. He is one of the best defensive players in baseball. If he can find consistency at the plate, he will be able to take that next step.

The 23-year-old has had a fantastic start to this season with a .271/.326/.482 slash line with three home runs and seven stolen bases. If he keeps this pace, he will have a 22 homer and 52 steal campaign.

The Cubs have already reportedly approached him about a $75 million extension, but they are going to have a tough time getting him to sign for that little amount.

Should the center fielder continue this level of play, he will be another in a growing line of Chicago players waiting for a payday.

The Cubs are still waiting for Alcantara to jump to the Majors full time, but he has at least looked promising.

The 22-year-old has slashed .286/.369/.429 with a home run and five stolen bases to start 2025. His walk rate has risen, but so have his strikeouts.

Like Crow-Armstrong, Alcantara has great defensive potential. He moves very well for a 6-foot-6 player and has serious potential to become a constistent 30/30 player at the plate.

If all goes well and Chicago manages things correctly, they could have a long-term outfield of Alcantara, Crow-Armstrong and Kyle Tucker.

While it might not be exactly the turnout that they wanted when they sold off three superstars, they still could come out on top.

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Dylan Sanders
DYLAN SANDERS

Dylan Sanders graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree from the Manship School of Mass Communication in 2023. He was born in raised in Baton Rouge, LA but has also lived in Buffalo, NY. Though he is a recent graduate, he has been writing about sports since he was in high school, covering different sports from baseball to football. While in college, he wrote for the school paper The Reveille and for 247Sports. He was able cover championships in football, baseball and women's basketball during his time at LSU. He has also spent a few years covering the NFL draft and every day activities of the New Orleans Saints. He is a Senior Writer at Inside the Marlins and will also be found across Sports Illustrated's baseball sites as a contributing writer. You can follow him on Twitter or Instagram @dillysanders

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