The Chicago Cubs’ 2016 World Series title is largely credited to key acquisitions made during that season’s trading period. The group helped end the team’s 108-year championship drought over the Cleveland Indians in seven games in the Fall Classic.
IllinoisBet.com – your source for information on Illinois sportsbooks – found the Major League Baseball teams with the best win percentage after the trade deadline since 2016. The first year in that data set gave us one of the best teams after that annual landmark in each season.
In 2016, the Cubs acquired pitchers Mike Montgomery, Aroldis Chapman and Joe Smith, reinforcing their bullpen depth ahead of that postseason. Meanwhile, the Cubs offloaded pitcher Adam Warren, and more notably, shortstop Gleyber Torres.
That memorable trading period helped make the 2016 Cubs one of the best post-trade deadline MLB teams in recent times with a 38-18 record (.679 winning percentage) that season after Aug. 1.
Here are the results, courtesy of MLB.com research.
Best Post-Trade Deadline MLB Teams Since 2016
Chicago Cubs 2023 World Series Odds
Ahead of the Cubs’ hopes for a postseason appearance in 2023, following the trading deadline that recently passed, consider the following information as a groundwork to evaluate the future of the Northside team.
The Cubs are +250 to clinch the NL Central and +8000 to win the World Series. Those odds can be found at BetMGM Sportsbook Illinois.
Where 2016 Cubs Rank Among Best Post-Deadline Teams
The 2016 Chicago Cubs join the 2022 Houston Astros as the only franchises to win the World Series after a post-deadline surge in the past seven complete seasons. The Cubs are No. 7 on this list, while the most recent champions are ranked right above at No. 6. The Astros finished with a 39-18 mark (a .684 winning percentage) after the trade deadline. Houston appears three times on this list (2018, 2019, 2022).
The top three teams were the 2021 Los Angeles Dodgers, who finished with the best record at 44-13 (.772), followed by the 2017 Cleveland Indians and 2021 San Francisco Giants, who are tied for second with a.729 winning percentage. The Indians closed with a 35-13 surge and the Giants ended their season two years ago on a 43-16 run.
The Dodgers (+500), Astros (+700) and Rays (+700) are three franchises on this list that are also among the favorites to win the 2023 World Series. Those odds can be found at BetMGM Sportsbook. For the latest and best Illinois sportsbook promo codes, keep tabs on IllinoisBets.com.
