Cubs sign lefty Grabow; Sox close to Vizquel deal
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CHICAGO – Pitcher John Grabow became the first of the 171 free agents to reach agreement on a new deal, getting a $7.5 million, two-year contract Friday from the Chicago Cubs.
The 31-year-old left-hander combined to go 3-0 with a 3.36 ERA last season in a career-high 75 relief appearances with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cubs.
“I pretty much let everyone know before I left there that I wanted to come back. It’s a good situation for me and my family,” said Grabow, who said he has a house in Arizona where the Cubs conduct spring training.
Staying in the NL Central and being with a veteran club were also appealing for Grabow.
“It was kind of a no-brainer,” he said.
He pitched 30 games and had a 3.24 ERA for the Cubs after he was acquired on July 30 along with left-hander Tom Gorzelanny for pitchers Jose Ascanio and Kevin Hart, and minor league infielder Josh Harrison.
Selected by the Pirates in the third round of the 1997 amateur draft, Grabow is 20-15 with six saves and a 4.03 ERA in 420 major league relief appearances with the Pirates and Cubs.
As one of the Cubs most experienced relievers, Grabow saidhe has no preference what his role might be.
“If it’s the sixth inning or if it’s the ninth inning, it doesn’t matter. Your job is to go in there and get guys out,” he said.
Grabow said he’d been pitching with bone chips in his elbow for about three years, but it hasn’t been a major issue.
“Throwing a baseball for all these years your arm is going to develop different things that are just part of the wear and tear,” he said. “It’s something you learn to manage and I got a routine I do every day before the game starts to prepare my arm to be able to pitch that day.”
Sox covet Vizuel as mentor to Ramirez, Beckham: At Chicago, the White Sox are closing in on a contract agreement with free agent shortstop Omar Vizquel.
The deal could be announced as soon as Monday, according to a person familiar with the negotiations who spoke on condition of anonymity because the team has not commented.
Vizquel, who will be 43 in April, has played 21 major league seasons. Last year he was in a utility role with the Texas Rangers, playing shortstop, third base and second base while appearing in 62 games. He batted .266.
Vizquel, who broke in with the Mariners in 1989, has long been known as one of the game’s best fielding shortstops. He’s also played for the Indians and Giants. He is a career .273 hitter with 2,704 hits in 2,742 games.
Vizquel would give the White Sox depth and experience as a backup in the infield where newly acquired Mark Teahen will play third, Alexei Ramirez will be at short and Gordon Beckham will switch from to second. Vizquel would play for fellow Venezuelan Ozzie Guillen, who will be 46 in January.
Chicago had no comment on the deal Friday.
The imminent agreement was first reported by Foxsports.com.
