Chicago Cubs hope they acquired their Dave Roberts in Terrance Gore

The Chicago Cubs acquired Terrance Gore from the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday in a move that is reminiscent of another Theo Epstein trade back in 2004.

Let us go back to 2004. Back then, when Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein was the general manager of the Boston Red Sox, he acquired speedy outfielder Dave Roberts for minor league outfielder Henri Stanley. Seen as a minor transaction at the time, Roberts played a pivotal role in breaking the Curse of the Bambino, as his ninth inning stolen base in Game Four of the ALCS helped Boston overcome a 3-0 deficit to win the series. The Red Sox would win the World Series that year, with Roberts’ steal a moment that will live on forever.

On Wednesday, the Cubs may have acquired their own version of Roberts. They purchased Terrance Gore from the Kansas City Royals, bringing in another speedster with postseason experience.

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Chances are, Gore will join the Cubs major league roster sometime around the end of August, making him eligible for postseason play. While nominally an outfielder like Roberts, he is far less of a baseball player. Gore has yet to get a hit in any of his 14 major league plate appearances, and has a lifetime minor league slash line of .241/.336/.276 in 2228 plate appearances. Chances are, he will never need a bat or a glove during his tenure with the Cubs.

And yet, there is one reason why the Cubs, or any team on the cusp of making the postseason, would want Gore. He is the modern day Herb Washington, a pinch runner extraordinaire, capable of changing the game with his legs. In his 49 major league games, Gore has stolen 21 bases and scored 14 runs.

This is also not the first time that the Royals have traded a speedster to a contending team. Back in 2013, the Red Sox acquired Quintin Berry from Kansas City, giving up pitcher Charlie Mortensen. While Berry did have nine plate appearances in his time in Boston, and even hit a home run, his speed was the real attraction.

It is entirely possible that Gore can have an impact upon the 2018 postseason. After all, in his eight playoff games with the Royals, he scored two runs and stole four bases. His presence on the basepaths gives the opposition something else to worry about, and could lead to a mistake or two being made. As the Royals proved in 2015, one mistake can change a game.

Theo Epstein once traded for Dave Roberts, leading to a World Series title with the Red Sox. The Chicago Cubs are hoping for the same result with Terrance Gore.