Topps Cards That Should Have Been: Fred McGriff and the 2001 Cubs

 

Hey, guys, did you know that despite falling within the cutoff for Topps Traded, and receiving a card in Bowman Heritage, Hall of Famer Fred McGriff doesn't have a Topps base card as a member of the 2001 Cubs? 

Like Tim Raines in the 2001 Traded set, all that Fred McGriff got with his crucial addition to a new roster was a relic card. No base. Topps had a surprising amount of blindspots during that Traded set. But McGriff, one of the most high-profile stars dealt at the trade deadline, was indeed one of them. Fans would have to wait til 2002 to receive a card of McGriff in a Cubs uniform. 

Still, in 42 games in Chicago during the second half of the 2001 season, McGriff hit .282 with 41 RBIs and 12 home runs. Incredible numbers that gave McGriff his seventh, but not last 100+ RBIs season and his ninth, but not last, 30+ home run season. Even at 37, McGriff could still mash, and the Cubs reaped the benefits.

While we're here, though, it's important to note that while the Cubs were buyers at the 2001 trade deadline, and though they took on many crucial pieces, they still ended the season in third place thanks to a humiliating August skid that even an extended early September break couldn't save them from. Yes, they'd be alright eventually, and would come back with an even more impressive team in 2003, but this Cubs team gambled and lost. So, here are some of the other players Topps neglected to document during their 2001 flagship year:

Longtime utility man Miguel Cairo had a rough start to the 2001 season. After the 2000 campaign, where he'd been a key infield piece for the Devil Rays, Cairo was cut. He signed a deal with the Oakland Athletics, but days before the 2001 season would begin, Oakland would trade Cairo to the Cubs in exchange for Eric Hinske, who would later be dealt to Toronto for Billy Koch in one of many deals that Billy Beane would regret later. The Cubs were familiar with Cairo's work, he was an infield option for them before the Devil Rays brought him on, so they were fine slotting him in. In 66 games he hits .285 with 35 hits and decent enough defensive play. Behind both Eric Young and Ricky Gutierrez he was a decent enough backup. Ultimately, as the Cubs would deal for someone else I'll be discussing in this post, Cairo would be cut again and claimed by St. Louis. If you can believe it, Cairo's career lasted for another 10 years after this.

It famously took Gary Matthews Jr. a while to figure out the major leagues. You all remember his excellent 2006 campaign with the Rangers, and some solid work with the late 2000s Angels. It took him a few years to get there, and in 2001 he was a pretty one-dimensional outfield bat. As the starting option in center field, Matthews hit .217 with 56 hits, 30 RBIs and 9 homers in 106 games. A later acquisition, which I will discuss here, would be the death nell for Matthews in Chicago, and he'd be cut soon after, to be picked up by Pittsburgh.

Signing with the Cubs as a free agent a few seasons after being a big piece of the trade that brought Jeff Kent to San Francisco, Julian Tavarez was a decent enough relief specialist that had proved in Colorado that he could start games. The Cubs called his bet, and 28 starts out of Tavarez, resulting in a 10-9, 4.52 ERA season that also finished with Tavarez' highest strikeout total, with 107. Despite his utilization as a pure innings eater, Tavarez enhanced his value and versatility. As a result, Tavarez would be a key piece in a trade that would also bring Cubs farmhand Dontrelle Willis to Miami, while bringing a much more consistent starting option in Matt Clement to Chicago.

I think the value of the reliever has gone up in the last ten years, which is too bad, because had it not, Kyle Farnsworth would have been a much bigger deal at the time. For sixteen years, Farnsworth was nothing more than a solid, consistent relief guy who'd make 60 or 70 appearances per year and just work. His most consistent years were in Chicago, where he was a staple of the early 00s bullpens. 2001 was his best season, as he held a 2.74 ERA over 76 games, striking out 107. It would be a season that would need a year or so to recover from, but it was the surest sign of Farnsworth's dominance over his tenure with the Cubs. 

Now back to the trade deadline acquisitions. After breaking in with the 90s Braves teams, Michael Tucker had become a serviceable outfield bat for the Reds. The Cubs pulled a nice deal for Tucker in July and plugged him in as their new centerfielder, to replace Gary Matthews Jr. finally. Tucker was an improvement, hitting .263 with 31 RBIs in 63 games, and a 1.2 WAR in that time, his best numbers since Atlanta. Like Tavarez, this season would result in a crucial offseason deal, as Tucker would be dealt to Kansas City for a player to be named later. 

And as for the upgrade at 2nd base, the Cubs went with Delino DeShields, the longtime infield bat who'd been struggling in Baltimore following an excellent 2000 campaign. DeShields was picked up a week after the O's cut him, and went to work, hitting .276 with 16 RBIs and 12 stolen bases, bringing him to 450 overall. DeShields would stay for the 2002 season and then quietly retire. 

I was going to go 'well why didn't they make it' and then I realized that a lot of the people they picked up were people in their mid-to-late 30s who didn't have a ton left to work with, so that kind of answers that. Either way, good that they finally get Topps representation, even through this project.