Chicago Cubs sign right-hander Aaron Crow to a Minor League deal

The Chicago Cubs made a pair of roster moves yesterday, both with minor implications. According to Mark Gonzalez via Twitter, the Cubs went out and signed right-hander Aaron Crow to a minor league deal.

Crow, 29, spent last year with the Marlins organization after being acquired from the Royals. Crow was acquired by the Marlins in a trade for lefty Brian Flynn. Crow, however, required Tommy John surgery and never pitched for the Marlins in 2015.

Crow had some successful seasons with the Royals, include an All-Star rookie season in 2011 when he went 4-4 with a 2.76 ERA in 62 innings pitched. Crow, a former No. 12 overall draft pick struggled in 2014 posting a career-worst 4.12 ERA with a career-low 5.2 K/9 rate against a 3.7 BB/9.

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Crow has a career 8.0 K/9 innings but can struggle with the long ball (1.1/9) and walks (3.8/9). If Crow is able to get back to form, he could provide the Cubs with some good bullpen depth, should injuries arise.

Crow will likely get an invite to spring training, but with only one potential spot available in the bullpen, his chances appear to be slim. So, Crow has a lot of upsides if he is able to get back to form and he is still relatively young.

In a corresponding move, the Cubs released 25-year-old lefty Luis Cruz after he failed a physical. Cruz spent his entire career with the Astros organization and threw 116 innings at Triple-A last year.

Cruz had some success with a 4.27 ERA at Triple-A and 7.2 K/9. Cruz has yet to pitch at the big league level. No information has been given to the exact reasons why he failed his physical.

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The Cubs 40 man roster currently stands at 40 and according to the Cubs website, Aaron Crow is not on the 40 man roster, so another roster move would need to be made in order for Crow to be added.

With spring training starting today, it will be interesting to see how the Cubs roster fluctuates over the coming weeks. You know for certain that there are going to be a few guys the Cubs want to add to the 40 man roster, and in order to do that, they will have to remove guys from it.