Cubs reportedly agree to terms with Carlos Villanueva – MLB News
While the Chicago Cubs hunt for signing Edwin Jackson continues, reports surfaced on Wednesday – Dec. 19, that the club has agreed to terms with the free agent pitcher Carlos Villanueva. The terms of the deal are yet to be made public.
Multiple sports’ portals published the news it while it was Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com who was first to report it. When confirmed, this will be one of the key moves the Cubs have made after they got a number of pitchers recently.
Playing with the Toronto Blue Jays, Villanueva has pitched both as starter and reliever. This past season, he posted 4.16 ERA in 125 1/3 innings with 122 strikeouts.
That which will have a bearing on the pitcher’s performance is his moving from the American League East to the National League Central.
The Cubs have been in the pursuit of some experienced and effective pitchers lately to both add to the rotation and bullpen. After they got the likes of Scott Baker and Scott Feldman, the rotation seems a bit changed now.
From Matt Garza to Jeff Samardzija who will be pitching along with the aforementioned two starters – coupled with Villanueva – if only the agreement is confirmed, the Cubs will have a stronger pitching lineup in upcoming season compared to the one they had
this year.
Also, being among the two finalists pursuing pitcher Edwin Jackson, the Cubs have already made their intentions clear about the kind of team they want to have in the National League Central with growing challenges.
After losing 101 games, changes were expected to sweep the Cubs. The roster, now, has a few names that were not previously there.
This outlook could well go to the Cubs favour in the MLB `13. While detractors and proponents will have their respective views and scepticisms, Spring Training will be a good start to see the Cubs’ level of preparedness.
After the failed bid to sign free-agent pitcher Anibal Sanchez – who was later signed by the Tigers, confirmation of the agreement with Villanueva, and the result of the talks with Jackson, are expected to come in next few days.
Tags: