Cubs add Leonys Martin after failing to reel in Justin Verlander

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The Cubs didn't acquire star pitcher Justin Verlander, but they did make a move before the Aug. 31 waiver trade deadline. 

Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer traded for the Mariners' Leonys Martin, a 29-year-old outfielder who has played in 34 MLB games this season. In exchange, the Cubs will send Seattle a player to be named later: 

Martin struggled in the bigs this season, but he has put up a solid .307/.348/.494 slash line in Triple-A Tacoma. He's produced a .248/.300/.361 line in his seven pro seasons. 

The Cuban outfielder's problems at the plate come on the heels of his most powerful season. In 2016, he hit a career high 15 homers and 47 RBI for Seattle. Given that, he does give the Cubs more depth in the outfield. 

As for Verlander, CSN's David Kaplan reported earlier Thursday that the Cy Young winner was willing to waive his no-trade clause to come to the North Side of Chicago: 

But between the Cubs' thin list of prospects and the Tigers' asking price, a deal couldn't be struck. The pitcher is instead heading to Houston to join the Astros in their quest for the A.L. pennant: 

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