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Hunter Cervenka, lefthanded pitcher, 6-1, 215
Drafted by the Red Sox in the 27th round in 2008
Acquired by trade in 2012
Possible 2014 landing spot: Double-A Tennessee
After being good in Chicago in 2010, and adequate in 2011, Marlon Byrd was horrible for the Cubs to start 2012. Over 13 games, his OPS was .219. Faced with injury concerns at the time, Boston rolled the dice on Byrd, and he wasn't very good there, either. Boston released Byrd in June. The trade was Byrd for Michael Bowden, who was on on-again/off-again roster jenga option for Theo Epstein's Cubs, representing a little over replacement level both years. Bowden is currently a free agent.
However, a player-to-be-named-later was also included in the pact. In mid-May, Hunter Cervenka was added. When traded to the Cubs, Cervenka's ERA was over 8 in Low-A. In just under 30 innings with Peoria, after the trade, his WHIP was under 1.2, netting him a call-up to Daytona, where he struggled. A 2013 return to Daytona went better, and Cervenka had a WHIP just below 1.3 in two stops last season.
Cervenka needs to upgrade his control/command in Tennessee this time around, He's an intriguing lefty, and was acquired as a PTBNL for a player that would stay with his team for only two months before release. Adding a lefty to the mix for a player on his way out the door is a nice after-dinner mint on a trade where Bowden out-performed Byrd.