In , McRae's salary jumped from less than $400,000 to $1.9 million. He was in the top ten in the American League in singles and stolen bases when the 1994 strike ended the season in August. Shortly before the strike ended in April , McRae was traded to the Chicago Cubs for two players who combined to play only eight games in the majors after the trade. He responded to the trade by finishing fourth in the National League with 167 hits, and second with a career-high 38 doubles while leading the league with 580 at bats. In , he set career highs with 111 runs scored and 37 stolen bases while being caught stealing only nine times for a career-best 80% success rate.