The trade deadline can be a difficult time for chief decision-makers around baseball. They don’t want to make the wrong move that they’ll regret for years to come.

And even if they know a particular trade is the right gamble to take for the future of their franchise, it can still be hard to pull the trigger and part ways with an important player.

That sums up both the Christopher Morel and Mark Leiter Jr. moves for the Cubs and Jed Hoyer’s front office at the trade deadline this season.

But the return for the Leiter trade with the Yankees was a key for Hoyer and Co.

“It was difficult to trade Mark,” Hoyer said Tuesday evening after the deadline had passed. “…But to get a reliever like Neely back in the deal is something that was important to us. We’re glad to land him.”

“Neely” is Jack Neely, the 24-year-old right-handed pitcher the Cubs received from the Yankees in exchange for Leiter. The Cubs also secured young infielder Ben Cowles in the deal.

[WATCH: Jed Hoyer’s press conference following the trade deadline]

Leiter was a great success story for the Cubs, rising from a minor-league signing (twice) to a key member of the bullpen. He’s under team control through the 2026 season but he’s also 33 and the Cubs felt it was a good time to sell high on his value and acquire a pair of solid young players in return.

Neely is the main part of the return here, as Hoyer indicated.

The 6-foot-8, 245-pound righty was an 11th-round pick in 2021 by the Yankees out of Ohio State University. He was a starter for much of his time in college but he has only worked out of the bullpen in his professional career.

Across 4 seasons in the Yankees farm system, Neely had a 2.75 ERA and 1.07 WHIP with a whopping 255 strikeouts in 160.1 innings (14.3 K/9).

According to FanGraphs, Neely sits at 94-98 mph with his fastball and his slider has an elite 54% miss rate.

He just arrived in Triple-A earlier this summer so he will likely need more seasoning at the highest minor-league level. But Neely could join the Chicago bullpen at some point before the end of the regular season.

If he continues his ascension, Neely could join Porter Hodge and Luke Little as a young core in the Cubs bullpen that is under team control for years to come.

As for Cowles, he is a nice depth option in the farm system as an infielder who can play multiple positions.

The 24-year-old has mostly played shortstop this season but can also handle second base and third base. Though the Cubs acquired Cowles, they don’t expect him to play for their affiliates this year due to an injury.

“We really like the profile,” Hoyer said of Cowles. “He’s had really good offensive success in the minor leagues. He’s done everything well – run the bases well, played good defense in the infield. Just had a really good year in Double-A.

“He just got hit in the [right] wrist a couple of days ago so he’s probably not gonna play again during the regular season but certainly what he’s done so far in Double-A was really impressive.”

If it is, indeed, the end of Cowles’ season, he will finish with a really solid line in 88 games at Double-A.

He hit .295 with a .376 on-base percentage and .472 slugging percentage (.848 OPS) with 25 doubles, 9 homers, 51 RBI and 14 stolen bases in 16 chances.

The Cubs currently have their entire infield locked up under team control for the next few seasons (Michael Busch, Nico Hoerner, Dansby Swanson and Isaac Paredes) but bench bats and role players are always valuable assets to teams.

Plus, plans can change and Cowles represents depth for the Cubs.

He joins fellow prospects like Luis Vazquez, B.J. Murray Jr., Matt Shaw and James Triantos as promising young infielders coming up through the Cubs system.

Complete Cubs trade deadline content:

–Why the Cubs decided to move on from Christopher Morel
–Behind the Cubs’ trade deadline strategy – and why Jameson Taillon wasn’t moved
–Cubs players react to trade deadline moves
–Why the Cubs decided to trade Mark Leiter Jr. at the deadline
–A comprehensive look at the Cubs’ 2024 MLB trade deadline moves
–Mark Leiter Jr. shares heartfelt appreciation for Chicago in farewell post
–Cubs trade away Mark Leiter Jr. in deal with Yankees
–In a stunning move, Cubs deal away Christopher Morel in big trade with Rays
–Cubs Weekly Podcast: Breaking down the Cubs’ fascinating – and surprising – deadline moves
–Who is Isaac Paredes? The book on the new Cubs third baseman
–WATCH: Christopher Morel shares emotional farewell with teammates and coaches in Cubs dugout
–Cubs acquire hard-throwing pitcher Nate Pearson