After a full news cycle filled with reports, the Cubs made the Cole Hamels trade official Friday morning.
The return for the veteran starting pitcher is Eddie Butler and prospect Rollie Lacy.
In Hamels, the Cubs are getting a former NLCS and World Series MVP (2008) and four-time All-Star who has finished in the Top 10 in NL Cy Young voting four times. Of course, he's now 34 (will turn 35 in December) and in the midst of the worst season of his career (5-9, 4.72 ERA, 1.37 WHIP).
But the Cubs can take solace in the fact that Hamels is moving from facing the designated hitter in the American League to an NL team with an elite defense behind him and a park that often plays like a pitcher's haven with the wind blowing in.