The Chicago Cubs agreed to terms on one-year contracts with six players to avoid salary arbitration: infielders Jeff Baker, Blake Dewitt and Ian Stewart; catcher Geovany Soto and right-handed pitchers Chris Volstad and Randy Wells.
I know this is story isn’t very exciting. Not really the best or most important of MLB players here. And who wants to ever read about the finer points of collective bargaining. That’s why I included plenty of pics of hot Cubs girls here.
Baker returns for his fourth season with the Cubs after batting .269 with 12 doubles, three home runs and 23 RBI in 81 games last season. He is a career .270 hitter in 460 big league games with Colorado (2005-09) and the Cubs (2009-present).
DeWitt batted .265 with 11 doubles, five home runs and 26 RBI in 121 games with the Cubs last year, his first full season with the club after being acquired from the Dodgers on July 31, 2010. He made starts at second base (15), third base (eight) and left field (17) last season.
Soto hit an abysmal .228 (96-for-421) with 26 doubles, 17 home runs and 54 RBI in 125 games with the Cubs last season. The 2008 N.L. Rookie of the Year is a career .258 hitter (425-for-1,648) with 106 doubles, 71 homers and 250 RBI in 503 games with the Cubs (2005-present).
Stewart is a career .236 hitter (293-for-1,242) with 61 doubles, 54 home runs and 187 RBI in 432 major league games with the Rockies (2007-11), playing the majority of his games at third base (354). Stewart has averaged 23 doubles, 20 home runs and 70 RBI per 162 games in his major league career.
Volstad was acquired in the Carlos Zambrano deal. He went 5-13 with a 4.89 ERA (90 ER/165.2 IP) in 29 starts last year, finishing strong by posting a 2.41 ERA (10 ER/37.1 IP) in his final six starts.
Wells went 7-6 with a 4.99 ERA (75 ER/135.1 IP) in 23 starts with the Cubs last season, missing two months due to a right forearm strain. He worked at least six innings in 16 of his 23 starts, at least seven innings in five starts and tossed two complete games.
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