Cubs Begin Fire Sale

By Chuck Sudo in News on Jul 31, 2012 1:45PM

The Cubs finally entered the non-waiver trade sweepstakes Monday night. The team traded outfielder Reed Johnson and starting pitcher Paul Maholm to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for prospects Arodys Vizcaino and Jaye Chapman. Meanwhile, catcher Geovany Soto was traded to Texas for minor-league pitcher Jacob Brigham. If that seems underwhelming in the wake of Ryan Dempster nixing a trade to the Braves last week, keep in mind the Cubs have until 3 p.m. to make more moves.

CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman reports the Los Angeles Dodgers are still interested in Dempster and possibly Alfonso Soriano, although the two sides weren’t close to a deal. Dempster is also believed to be interested in trades to Texas and the New York Yankees and would a trade to any of the three teams if the Cubs can get suitable prospects in return.

If Monday night’s moves wind up being the only ones the Cubs make before the deadline, the Wrigley faithful should be concerned about the Theo Epstein-Jed Hoyer rebuilding plan. It was widely assumed that Dempster and Matt Garza would both be moved before the deadline before Dempster nixed the trade and Garza was put on rest with fluid buildup in his arm. Even Garza still has suitors, with Texas and Toronto still interested in him. All eyes are on Dempster right now and some are asking “what if” he accepted the trade to the Braves for Randall Delgado.

As for what the Cubs picked up in return for the trades, Vizcaino is the toy surprise in this box of Cracker Jack. He was ranked as the number three prospect in the Braves’ system before the season (behind Delgado) but had Tommy John surgery in March. All three pitchers confirm what Epstein and Hoyer have been saying all along about the rebuilding project being centered around young pitchers with potential upsides.

After the game, Hoyer acknowledged the weirdness surrounding the trades during a game.

"It is strange telling two players in the middle of the game," Hoyer said. "It started to leak out about Paul, and I wanted to make sure he heard from us first. Both guys took it great. In the case of Paul, he said he grew up a Braves fan. "Everything about that game was unusual," Hoyer said. "You don't experience that too often, but I guess near the Deadline, some strange things happen."