Cubs full trade details for Ryan Zeferjahn deal with Angels reveal unfortunate cost

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Cubs full trade details for Ryan Zeferjahn deal with Angels reveal unfortunate cost originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Chicago Cubs are reportedly trading for Los Angeles Angels reliever Ryan Zeferjahn. He's going to join Kevin Gausman and Braxton Garrett as new additions to the Cubs' pitching staff.

But, in this trade for a 3.66 ERA right-handed reliever who is 28 years old and under control through 2030, the Cubs are reportedly giving up a significant package in return.

According to Patrick Mooney of The Athletic, the Cubs are sending Moises Ballesteros and Mason McGwire to the Angels for Zeferjahn. It's a very costly package, and one that brings a lot of risk for the Cubs.

Full trade details on Cubs-Angels Ryan Zeferjahn trade​

"To get reliever Ryan Zeferjahn from the Angels at the deadline, the Cubs are planning to give up Moises Ballesteros and pitching prospect Mason McGwire (Mark's son) in the trade, per source confirming reporting from @JeffFletcherOCR," Mooney reports.

This is a two-player package, and it's a very expensive one at that. Zeferjahn is a 28-year-old reliever who is under club control through the 2030 MLB season. He has a 3.66 ERA this year for the Angels and has a 105 ERA+ for his big league career.

To land Zeferjahn to improve the Chicago bullpen, they're giving up Ballesoteros and McGwire. Those are two very valuable players to give up in a deal, especially for a reliever.

Ballesteros is still just 22 years old and has already made his big league debut with the Cubs. He has a .249 batting average for his MLB career in 213 at-bats with eight home runs, 0.7 bWAR, and a .736 OPS with a 106 OPS+.

MORE: Cubs land Kevin Gausman in blockbuster trade with Blue Jays

McGwire is the son of MLB legend Mark McGwire and is a right-handed pitching prospect who was at the Future's Game for the Cubs in Philadelphia this year.

He's a 22-year-old who has a 3.64 ERA in 59.1 innings of work this season at Single-A and High-A. While he's not a super highly-ranked prospect, he's still a notable inclusion in this trade for the Cubs.

The full trade details of this Cubs' deal with the Angels are Moises Ballesteros and Mason McGwire for Ryan Zeferjahn. That's a lot for the Cubs to lose in one trade, though their new reliever is under club control well into the future.

This is quite a significant trade for the Cubs, and will be one to keep a close eye on over the years to see how it all shakes out. It could go either way, but for now, it feels like a lot to give up for a reliever, even one under control for a while.

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