Yes, I know it’s only a minor league contract, but why even make this move, isn’t he washed up?
Unless this is a move to get transplanted New Englanders into Wrigley so we can hear annoying accents- “that Kevin Mill-ah is still wicked pissah in the field.”
Here are the details
CHICAGO – The Chicago Cubs have agreed to terms with infielder Kevin Millar on a minor league contract. The deal includes an invite to major league spring training. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Millar, 38, is a career .274 hitter (1,284-for-4,688) with 296 doubles, 170 home runs and 699 RBI in all or part of 12 major league seasons with Florida (1998-2002), Boston (2003-05), Baltimore (2006-08) and Toronto (2009). The right-handed batter and thrower has seen action at first base (800 games), left field (196 games), right field (170 games) and third base (32 games).
The six-foot, 217-pound Millar has a .358 on-base percentage and a .452 slugging percentage in 1,427 big league games. He owns a career .273 batting average (369-for-1,352) against left-handed pitching and a .274 mark (915-for-3,336) against right-handed pitching.
As a member of the Red Sox, Millar helped the club to three-consecutive post-season appearances from 2003-05, including the 2004 World Championship.
After Boston , Millar spent three seasons in Baltimore before moving to Toronto for the 2009 campaign. In 78 games last season, Millar hit .223 (56-for-251) with 14 doubles, seven home runs and 29 RBI.
Millar broke into the majors with Florida in 1998 and connected for his first home run a season later, an inside-the-park homer at Wrigley Field on May 24, 1999. Millar’s uncle, Wayne Nordhagen, played for the Cubs in 1983.
The Cubbies (you can tell that I’m not an actual Cubs fan by referring to them as “the Cubbies” instead of “the Cubs”) also re-upped on Carlos Marmol. Which I regard as an intelligent move for them
CHICAGO – The Chicago Cubs and right-handed pitcher Carlos Marmol have agreed to terms on a 2010 contract, thus avoiding salary arbitration. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Marmol, 27, went 2-4 with 15 saves and a 3.41 ERA (28 ER/74.0 IP) in 79 relief appearances for the Cubs last season. He led the club with 27 holds despite moving into the closer’s role August 18, as Marmol then went 11-for-11 in save opportunities from that point through the end of the season. He limited opponents to a .170 batting average (43-for-253), third lowest among qualifying major league relievers, and surrendered only two home runs in 74.0 innings of work.
The righthander has made 161 relief appearances since the start of the 2008 campaign, second-most in the majors behind Pedro Feliciano (174). Marmol’s 73 holds in his career tie him with Kyle Farnsworth for the most in franchise history.
In all or part of four major league seasons with the Cubs (2006-09), Marmol is 14-16 with 23 saves, 73 holds and a 3.42 ERA (117 ER/307.2 IP) in 239 major league appearances, including 13 starts.
Kyle Farnsworth has a franchise record for something?? Really, that’s surprising. I already knew he held the franchise records for career shots of tequila consumed and Lincoln Park Trixies slept with. Just ahead of Mark Grace on both lists.
