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Theo Epstein hinted at the possibility of the Cubs adding another free agent reliever and he did exactly that Wednesday night. According to Patrick Mooney and Ken Rosenthal, the Cubs have signed left-handed relief pitcher Xavier Cedeño.
The lefty split time with the White Sox and Brewers in 2018.
Adding more bullpen depth, the Cubs have signed lefty Xavier Cedeño, sources told @TheAthleticCHI and @Ken_Rosenthal. Cedeño put up a 2.43 ERA in 48 appearances with the White Sox and Brewers last year.
— Patrick Mooney (@PJ_Mooney) February 14, 2019
So, more depth for the bullpen.
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The Cubs opened camp hoping to add another reliever who would fit within their budget and landed Xavier Cedeño with a $900,000 non-guaranteed deal.
— Patrick Mooney (@PJ_Mooney) February 14, 2019
He could get as much as $1.2 million total with incentives.
Xavier Cedeno gets 900K as an NRI with 300K incentives @PJ_Mooney 1st #cubs
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) February 14, 2019
The 32-year-old pitched 33.1 innings last season and held left-handed hitters to a .574 OPS. He was pretty good against righties too, holding them to a .212/.316/.288 slash line. Cedeño will compete with a few fellow lefties during spring training for a spot in the Cubs bullpen.
Sounds like a minor league deal, and thus not demanding the 40th spot on the 40-man roster unless he makes the big league team. He competes for a with Brian Duensing, Randy Rosario, Kyle Ryan and Mike Zagurski for the LOOGY job. https://t.co/b3hYzOjJPx
— Cubs Prospects – Bryan Smith (@cubprospects) February 14, 2019
Cedeño has had a few good years during his career, posting a 2.35 ERA in 2015, to go along with his sub-2.50 ERA last year.
The southpaw made his MLB debut with the Astros in 2011. Since then he’s compiled a career 3.69 ERA in 175.2 innings, with a 3.60 FIP and 3.59 xFIP.
