Chicago Cubs finish trade deadline splash by adding Cameron Maybin

The Chicago Cubs were active buyers ahead of the MLB trade deadline, finishing with a flurry that includes veteran outfielder Cameron Maybin.

The first-place Chicago Cubs made several shrewd moves to stabilize the roster as they head down the stretch of the truncated season.

After trading for Jose Martinez and signing AJ Ramos over the weekend, and then trading for relievers Andrew Chafin and Josh Osich, the Cubs made a final splash with the trade of Cameron Maybin, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

The Cubs front office of president Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer alluded to not making any big trades that would cost a lot of money, but they raided the bargain bin with the idea of filling in areas of weakness like the bullpen, hitting left-handed pitching and late-inning defensive replacements.

The Cubs didn’t need to trade any of their remaining prospects or gut the farm system or take on significant salary to cross off their items on the wishlist with these moves.

Maybin is only hitting .244 with a .311 on-base percentage this year with one home run and two RBI for the Detroit Tigers, but the Cubs aren’t trading for his bat. The Cubs are trading for his veteran presence and ability to cover ground in the outfield. Think of this move like the one the Cubs made in 2015 when they traded for Austin Jackson.

When the Cubs have leads late, they can substitute out Ian Happ and/or Kyle Schwarber in the outfield and sub in Maybin to play center, potentially shift Happ from center to left and give manager David Ross some options with the outfield. Plus, Maybin can be a potential pinch-runner in late-inning situations.