ST. LOUIS – It took some last-minute haggling with the Tigers and a last-minute payroll infusion from ownership for the Cubs to land the hitter they targeted at the trade deadline Wednesday.
But whether Nick Castellanos and a handful of deck-chair-caliber depth moves for the bench and bullpen pay off with a fifth consecutive playoff appearance probably has a lot more to do with what Jon Lester, Yu Darvish, Javy Baez, the Cardinals, Brewers and maybe even the Reds do down the stretch.
Castellanos, an everyday corner outfielder who thrives against left-handed pitching, should help lift the Cubs’ awful group performance this year against lefties.