Ken Reitz dead at 69 By danimal15 on Apr 1, 2021, 8:39pm CDT + Didn't see elsewhere on this site, so in case it wasn't already here, just posting to say ex-Cub Ken Reitz died at age 69, according to MLB.com. Those of you who like me are old enough to remember, Reitz joined the Cubs in 1981, coming in a trade from the Cardinals for ace reliever Bruce Sutter. Reitz was a great third baseman, but not much of a hitter, and his offensive skills faded to nothing when he reached Wrigley. The trade was made, I believe, because the Wrigley family had lost an arbitration case with Sutter before the 1980 season and had to pay him $700,000 that year, the all-time highest salary ever paid to a Cub up to that time (and a very high amount for anyone in MLB in 1980). They dumped him and his salary after the season.