Revisiting the Cubs-Padres Trade for Anthony Rizzo

The San Diego Padres have not been to the playoffs since 2006. That is a brutal drought for Padres fans and the team has at least made an effort to contend the past few years by signing Eric Hosmer and Manny Machado to major deals.

Yet the organization made a disastrous trade in 2012 that altered the direction of the franchise. That move involved sending Anthony Rizzo to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for an average pitcher and an outfielder who was released a year later. The team saw Rizzo play in 49 games and decided that was enough to trade him to Chicago.

Prospects in the Andrew Cashner/Anthony Rizzo Trade: Rizzo, Zach Cates, Kyung-Min Na. http://t.co/8NRAMbw8
— John Sickels (@MinorLeagueBall) January 6, 2012

Cubs-Padres Anthony Rizzo Trade Details

Cubs Received: Anthony Rizzo and Zach Cates

Padres Received: Andrew Cashner and Kyung-Min Na

The Padres had their eye on Cashner and were comfortable moving on from Rizzo to add depth to the rotation. Cashner began as a reliever and ended up making five starts in 2012. He made a total of 97 starts and 130 appearances from 2012-2016 in San Diego, never making an All-Star Game in his tenure.

Na was also acquired and the Korean outfielder never made it to the majors. He lasted one year with the franchise before being let go and has not been in MLB since.

Cates was also a bit of a bust and it is hard to fault the Padres for sending him to Chicago. He was in the minors up until 2015 and had transitioned into a relief role after posting a 4.12 ERA in 2013. His career came to an end in 2015 and his name is now a trivia question answer related to Rizzo.

I am absolutely fascinated with the Anthony Rizzo trade. I don't care if Cashner can hit 108, I think the Padres will regret that deal.
— Grant Brisbee (@GrantBrisbee) March 16, 2012

A fair comparison in the trade is to look at it as a Rizzo for Cashner swap. Rizzo made his Cubs debut in 2012 and was an All-Star in 2014. That started a string of three straight All-Star Game appearances and three years of finishing in the top 10 of NL MVP voting. And to top it all off, he was a 5.8 WAR player in 2016 when the Cubs won the World Series. Do Padres fans need to hear more?

Cashner finished with a WAR of 3.2 in five years with the Padres and was traded to the Miami Marlins during the 2016 season.

Who Won the Cubs-Padres Anthony Rizzo Trade

The Cubs won a World Series and the Padres haven't even made the playoffs since 2006. The Rizzo trade was a coup for the Cubs and any mention of it is likely enough to give Padres fans a headache.