Thanks to intrepid Goat Reader Karl who pointed out in the comments that the Cubs have inked Mark DeRosa. I don't really pay attention to the AL, so I didn't realize that this guy ever did anything after leaving Atlanta. DeRosa has pretty solid carrer numbers (for a second baseman), sporting a .735 lifetime OPS. Last year with the Rangers, he had a career year (hmm, maybe I should say he "established a new level of play"), managing 40 doubles and 13 homers to go along with a .357 On Base Percentage. Not bad. The contract is for 3 years and 13 million, which is really a pretty decent bargain. As nutsack pointed out (um, nutsack, do you realize how stupid I feel crediting "nutsack" for info?), DeRosa's career numbers versus righties are pretty terrible, but he did just fine last year. And he *murders* lefties. If you take a look at Baseball Reference, they have a few stats that take into account the fact that The Ballpark at Arlington is an extreme hitters park. Taking a look at his park adjusted OPS+, they've got him at 106 which mean that he's a slightly above average hitter. To give some perspective, Todd Walker posted OPS+ numbers of 115 and 105 with the Cubs. So DeRosa will likely be valuable during his tenure with the Cubs. All in all, a good signing given the number of holes the Cubs have to fill. Perhaps now the Cubs will sign Soriano to play center (and, lamentably, lead off). That would effectively round out the lineup, meaning all the Cubs would have to do is plug the gapping holes in the rotation. So far, a pretty decent (although not awe inspiring) start by Hendry. Keep it up, buddy. Added by Death: I was going to step on Famine's toes, but instead I'll just loiter about at the bottom of his post. At a glance, it's not a bad signing. The Cubs have overspent to acquire a supersub, a guy who can split time in the outfield with Jacque Jones, who can play pretty much any position except catcher. Oh wait. They're paying him starter money. To start. Probably at second base. Where he's played something like 48 times in the past three seasons. From ESPN:

The Cubs and Mark DeRosa have agreed to terms on a three-year deal worth about $13 million, ESPN's Buster Olney reports. It's way too much of a commitment to someone who only figures to be an asset against left-handers. A platoon of Jacque Jones and DeRosa in right field would be very productive, but the Cubs are probably going to give DeRosa a chance to be their primary second baseman. DeRosa turns 32 in February and is a career .260/.316/.366 hitter against righties (to put that in perspective, Neifi Perez is a career .268/.298/.376 hitter). Versus lefties, he has an impressive .306/.367/.497 line

Ugh.