On July 2, 2013, the Cubs, a team near the bottom of the standings, traded pitcher Scott Feldman and catcher Steve Clevenger for two other players. The first player was Pedro Strop, a reliever who has been solid with the Cubs posting a 2.68 ERA. The second player, was an iffy starter who posted a 5.46 ERA in his years with Baltimore. The “iffy” starter I’m talking about is Jake Arrieta.

When I first saw this deal, I thought it was no biggie. Feldman cost too much and they needed to dump him and got a little something in return. Given that on the day of the trade they were 11 games under .500, I decided not to look further into it.

Just a little over two years and a no-hitter later, Arrieta is posting insane numbers with the Cubs. Just this Sunday against the Pirates, he carried a perfect game into the seventh inning. And the kicker is that I almost expected it. When I watched him pitch, I thought to myself, I’m watching the birth of one of the greats. This season, he has registered 21 wins and posted an an astonishing earned run average of just 1.82. Since the All Star break, he has hurled a RIDICULOUS average of just 0.80. With the way the past century has gone, this probably shouldn’t have happened.

The Cubs have survived the past 107 years by having bad luck. Their lack of success has been SO lacking it has made them one of the most liked and relevant teams in baseball. This is great if you’re from Rochester, New York but not if you’re from the North Side. Every team makes a mistake here and there, but the Cubs are infamous for perhaps the most lopsided trade in sports history.

Flashback. It’s 1964. Lou Brock, the Cubs left fielder had been mostly disappointing in his three years with the Cubs, but still had amazing potential. Cardinals pitcher Ernie Broglio had been very good consistently over the past few seasons. In a six player deal, Broglio and Brock were swapped. Initially it looked like the Cubs were the winners. They got the sure thing in Broglio, right? Well, things didn’t turn out in the Cubs’ best interest.

Lou Brock as it goes had a Hall of Fame career with the Cardinals. In his first year with them, he hit .348 with 33 stolen bases. At his peak, he stole 118 bases in one season.

Ernie Broglio had a less successful go of it. Slinging a 5.40 ERA and battling through injury, he only pitched in Chicago for a few years. Since the trade, it has come out that the Cardinals only traded Broglio was because they knew he was on his last legs. As it goes, in 1961 when he won 21 games, had TWENTY cortisone shots into his throwing arm. Regardless, the Cubs got robbed on the deal. Forward fifty years, and the tables have turned.

Arrieta was never supposed to be this good. Baltimore either thought he had no talent or just that they couldn’t develop it. The Cubs front office saw his raw talent and decided to take a chance. And for once, the Cubs were right. They made a smart decision! Woot!

Jake symbolizes what I love about the Cubs. He gives us hope. He’s an absolutely dominant pitcher, who could pitch literally anywhere on a $300 million deal, plays for a team that won their last title when color photography and movies with dialogue didn’t exist. He believes in the message, and so do we. The “Billy Goat Curse” is an idea. Some guy got kicked out of Wrigley for having his goat in the stands says they won’t win because it upset his goat? Really? I think not.

This trade shows that the Curse really has no weight to it. Even if it is “real,” it’s pretty inconsistent. Nearly forty years without a playoff berth, but six in the last twenty? Trades going both ways? The Cubs being able to have twenty winning seasons since 1945?

The point is, Jake Arrieta reminds us that on any day, any season, the right group of guys can win games, and ultimately win that World Series crown.

In just a matter of days, the Cubs will get their shot at greatness. They will be entering the postseason for just the seventh time in seventy years. Given their performance this year, I’d expect that number to rise in the coming years.