Amidst the trade deadline frenzy, the Chicago Cubs and Tampa Bay Rays pulled off an under the radar deal among minor league pitchers. The Cubs traded two familiar names in right-handed starting pitcher Adrian Sampson and right-handed reliever Manny Rodriguez in exchange for Rays’ righty Josh Roberson.

The Cubs are also kicking in some international free agent pool money to Tampa Bay,

Sampson and Rodriguez were both with the Triple-A Cubs in 2023.

The Cubs have officially announced the trade.

Josh Roberson

So, what are the Cubs getting in Josh Roberson? The 27-year-old is a 6-foot-3, right-hander, who has mainly been a relief pitcher since the beginning of the 2021 season. Roberson was originally picked by the Miami Marlins in the 12th round of the 2017 MLB Draft out of UNC Wilmington.

The righty had a great start to his minor league career, posting a 1.30 ERA in 48.1 innings between rookie ball and low A-Ball in 2018 and in 2019 Roberson made 14 starts and recorded a 2.14 ERA. However, after a lost 2020 minor league season that was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Marlins moved Roberson to the bullpen in the middle of the 2021 season.

In 2022, the Marlins traded Roberson to the Rays.

So far in 2023, Roberson has a 4.50 ERA in 36 innings at Triple-A. He has 43 strikeouts, but has also allowed 22 walks. He has been better as of late though, recording a 0.69 ERA in his last 10 outings.

Adrian Sampson

Well, this could actually be a great thing for Adrian Sampson. He began the season competing for the fifth spot in the starting rotation for the Cubs and heading into spring training he might have been the favorite. He was hit hard though and the Cubs ended up choosing rookie Hayden Wesneski, who did more than enough to win the job.

Sampson was at Triple-A in April, and after a few more bad starts he landed on the injured list. On May 15, the Cubs moved the right-handed pitcher over to the 60-day injured list and was only recently activated in late July. The 31-year-old has only made nine appearances at Triple-A this year, making six total starts. He has a 9.32 ERA in 28 innings.

During his time in the majors with the Cubs, Sampson pitched to good results. In 2022, he had a 3.11 ERA in 104.1 innings. In 2021, Sampson had a 2.80 ERA in 35.1 innings. The Rays have done wonders with other pitchers, so they’ll try to get him back on track.

Manny Rodriguez

The Cubs gave Manny Rodriguez a shot in the majors after their trade deadline sell-off in 2021. The hard-throwing righty showed why he got to the big leagues in the first place, displaying a high 90s fastball out of the bullpen. Unfortunately, there were only glimpses of success for Rodriguez, who ended his rookie season with a 6.11 ERA in 20 appearances.

In 2022, Rodriguez made 14 outings in the majors, but as the Cubs kept acquiring talent his stock began to take a hit on the depth chart. The 26-year-old has been at Triple-A for all of 2023. In 38.2 innings, the righty has recorded a 4.42 ERA, striking out 56 hitters in 35 games. Rodriguez recorded 13 saves in 14 opportunities with the Iowa Cubs.