In July 2014, the Chicago Cubs found themselves in the midst of another sub-par season, but moving in a direction that signaled brighter days ahead. With that in-mind, Theo Epstein decided to send 40 percent of the starting rotation to the Oakland Athletics.
On July 5, the Cubs traded Jason Hammel and hometown native Jeff Samardzija to the Oakland Athletics for Billy McKinney, Addison Russell, Dan Straily and cash.
This isn’t about the trade the Cubs made though. Only one of those three players are currently with the Cubs and has turned into a great asset for the Cubs.