Saturday, The New York Times revisited a trade that the Chicago Cubs made in December 2011. In Theo Epstein’s second month on the job, he dealt second baseman D.J. LeMahieu to the Colorado Rockies for third baseman Ian Stewart.
At the time, trading an unproven commodity like LeMahieu raised few eyebrows. The then 23-year-old hit just .250 in 37 games with the Cubs in 2011. While his career was just beginning, it wasn’t like the Cubs were trading an All-Star or budding top prospect.
In exchange for LeMahieu, the Cubs acquired a possible replacement for former starting third baseman Aramis Ramirez.