The Chicago Cubs have added another arm to their bullpen, reportedly signing reliever Xavier Cedeno to a non-guaranteed contract.
According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Patrick Mooney, the Cubs will pay Cedeno $900,000 for the contract, and he will compete for a spot in the team’s bullpen for the coming season.
The contract is a definite boost for the Cubs, who were looking for a left-handed specialist this offseason. Cedeno posted a 2.43 ERA in 48 games with the Chicago White Sox and Milwaukee Brewers last season, and he had a 55 percent ground-ball rate while only giving up one home run in 33.1 innings of work.
It’s unclear what role Cedeno will play in the team’s bullpen, but with Brandon Morrow on the shelf and the Cubs looking to avoid a repeat of their over-usage of relievers last season, he will likely have a great shot to make the team out of spring training.
