Last year the Cubs decided to trade Mark DeRosa to the Cleveland Indians for 3 young minor league arms. That trade was unpopular to say the least when it comes to the Cubbie faithful. There weren’t many who were able to see the reasoning behind the move, and I’ll try and shine some light on it to those who were adamantly against it.

With ownership in flux and the Cubs deciding they wanted a left-handed, power-hitting bat in the middle of the order, they were only able to add via subtraction. Mark DeRosa was going to be in a contract year coming off a career year. The odds of him sustaining the 2008-production were questionable at best, and the numbers do indeed show- he clearly had a worse year if you look at the numbers that really matter. He really was the only payroll along with Jason Marquis that was going to bring back some positive young talent into a growing system along with opening up the payroll that arguably went to Milton Bradley. (We’re not arguing the Milton Bradley signing here, I’m stating the facts and reasoning behind the trade.)

The main reason that stuck out in my mind was the lack of pitching talent in the organization. Sure Jay Jackson made amazing strides this year, but Jeff Samardzija took a big step back. Outside of that, the Cubs system was not full of crown prizes. There’s one guy who really made that trade worth it, and one guy who Cub fans are going to really fall in love with, probably sooner rather than later.

Chris Archer was taken in the 5th round of the 2006 draft by the Cleveland Indians and signed a contract with a bonus around 160,000. It was early on where most thought he had the real chance to be a special guy. Possessing a heavy fastball in the low 90′s and a real good breaking ball, he was able to put up some impressive numbers this year including 6 hits per 9 innings pitched while striking out 119 in 109 innings. As good as those stats are, maybe the most impressive accomplishment and a testament to his stuff- he didn’t allow a home run all year long. That to me is outrageous and a real sign that his stuff is really really difficult to square up. His only knock might be his command while he issued 5 walks per 9 innings but when a young kid has the kind of stuff Archer has, it’s going to take some time to completely harness it. The kid has been said to have a good work ethic along with a good head on his shoulders which is going to pay dividends down the road for the Cubs (barring a trade). That alone is worth Mark DeRosa, and there’s a strong possibility that he’s going to be a key to the rotation in the coming years. (2013 is my prediction).

I would like to see more Cub fans embrace the game of baseball and start learning the reasoning behind the moves they make. People get so caught up in the present and listen to the 100 year curse critics that they lose sight of the future and even the present when it comes to bias for and against players. Without a good system, they’ll have to continue to buy players via free agency which will obviously destroy the payroll. If the Ricketts say “You know what, we’ll be the Yankees year in year out” than maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. I just don’t think the Ricketts have the money to be the Yankees year in year out and I personally don’t want them to be. I’d like the Cubs be more like the Red Sox. Able to spend money while bringing up homegrown talent while maintaining depth down there. If they can do that, they can run the central for years and years to come.

The Cubs made a real tough decision in regards to one of the fans favorite players. It will always be considered questionable in the eyes of Cub fans that refuse to believe the facts, but it was the correct baseball move then, and it’s still the correct baseball move now. Jim Hendry should be getting some apologetic emails from fans blasting this move when Chris Archer, John Gaub, and Jeff Stevens are part of the Cubs present- and future.