Carlos Villanueva agreeing to sign with the Cubs was first reported last night and now Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com has the details: $10 million for two years.
Chicago is also said to be on the verge of signing Edwin Jackson to a four-year, $52 million deal, which means the Cubs will have added Jackson, Villanueva, Scott Feldman, and Scott Baker to a rotation that includes holdovers Matt Garza, Jeff Samardzija, and Travis Wood. That’s seven starters for five spots, but Baker may not be ready for Opening Day following Tommy John elbow surgery.
Villanueva had a lot of success as a starter in the minors, but has spent most of his big-league career as a long reliever and has been mediocre when called on to make spot starts. He started 16 times for Toronto in 2012, struggling to keep the ball in the ballpark while posting a 4.50 ERA, but also had an 86/25 K/BB in 92 innings. If given a chance to build up his arm strength as a full-time starter at age 29 he could provide nice value.