Morning Marquee: Cubs sign David Ross; Padres add Upton

Early Friday, it looked as if the Chicago Cubs had missed out on David Ross. By evening, they had their man, and Jon Lester‘s favorite battery mate signed to a two-year, $5 million deal. Over the past two years, Ross has caught 29 games for Lester. In 2014 in 18 games Lester posted a 2.02 ERA. Overall in the 29 it was a 2.77. The acquisition could spell the end for Welington Castillo‘s time in Chicago with Miguel Montero and Ross in town.

The San Diego Padres and first-year GM A.J. Preller completed a complete revamp of their outfield, acquiring Justin Upton from the Atlanta Braves. The Padres new look includes Matt Kemp, Wil Myers and Preller. The only issue now is they still have the three from last year that got a bulk of the playing time. It’s all likely to culminate with more moves by the Padres in deals to move last year’s trio.

A couple of moves by the Miami Marlins were directly related to each other on Friday. First, the Marlins acquired Martin Prado from the Yankees in a five-player deal. That move then made Comeback Player of the Year Casey McGehee expendable, and he was shipped to the San Francisco Giants to fill the void left by Pablo Sandoval‘s departure. McGehee has had respectable numbers, but won’t match the loss of Sandoval.

Corey Hart returns to the NL Central, this time with the Pittsburgh Pirates after signing a one-year deal for $2.5 million. Hart was a two-time All-Star in Milwaukee, but has struggled with injuries since. He missed the entire 2013 season due to surgeries on both knees, and became a free agent in October when he refused an outright assignment to the minor leagues.

Here are some of the stories you may have missed:

‘David Ross signs two-year, $5 million deal with Chicago Cubs’ – Cubbies Crib

‘What’s next for Welington Castillo after the David Ross signing?’ – Cubbies Crib

‘Padres acquire Justin Upton from Braves’ – Friars on Base

‘Giants acquire third baseman Casey McGehee from Marlins’ – Around the Foghorn

‘Marlins trade for Prado, Phelps from Yankees’ – Marlin Maniac

‘Corey Hart signing may mean Pedro Alvarez’s days are numbered’ – Rum Bunter