By Steve Rhodes
One in an occasional series tracking the movements of those who have worn Cubbie blue.
1. Bill Mueller.
Mueller lost his job as the Cardinals’ assistant hitting coach in the purge of manager Mike Matheny and staff. Mueller hit .295 with a .403 OBP for the Cubs in 2001 and .266/.355 in 2002. He served as the Cubs’ hitting coach under Rick Renteria in 2014, then resigned after the season when the team fired his assistant, Mike Brumley. He was then picked up by the Cardinals.
2. Scott Servais.
The former Cubs catcher is in his third season managing the Mariners, and has them at a surprising 58-39 so far this season – good for just second in the AL West thanks to the Astros (64-35). Servais worked 3 1/2 solid seasons on the North Side.
3. Sean Marshall.
Marshall came up through the Cubs system as a starter, but ended his career here as a strong set-up man in the ‘pen. In one of their early moves, Theo & Co. traded Marshall to the Reds for Travis Wood, Dave Sappelt and Ronald Torreyes.
4. Chris Archer.
Perennial subject of trade rumors – including back to the Cubs where he once was a prized prospect – Archer is 3-4 with a 4.29 ERA (3.79 FIP) this season (he was activated from the 10-day DL earlier this month). In 2011, the Cubs sent Archer, Sam Fuld, Brandon Guyer, Robinson Chirinos and Hak-Ju Lee to the Rays for Matt Garza, Fernando Perez and Zac Rosscup. Given all the players involved, the trade rippled for years in subsequent transactions; here’s one analysis.
5. Adam Warren.
Warren is having his best season yet in the Yankees’ bullpen, notching a 1.85 ERA. That’s the Warren the Cubs thought they were getting for the 2016 season when they acquired him and PTBNL Brendan Ryan from New York for Starlin Castro. Warren had a difficult time adjusting to Joe Maddon’s mix-and-match style, preferring instead Joe Girardi’s more rigid approach to bullpen roles, and pitched so badly here he was sent to Triple-A after posting a 5.91 ERA in 29 appearances. He was traded back to the Yankees mid-season along with Billy McKinney, Gleyber Torres and Rashad Crawford for Aroldis Chapman – and he went back to being good again.
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Comments welcome.
Posted on July 18, 2018