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Chicago Cubs: Recent signings, Spring Training invitees carry plenty of intrigue
By Logan Whaley
Other intriguing signings
The Cubs bring in a former Twins backstop on a minor-league deal, and there is an expectation he will be the backup to Willson Contreras. The team’s No.6 prospect Victor Caratini will most likely begin his season at Triple-A Iowa.
Gimenez brings a quiet allure with him. To begin with, he saw a career-high in plate appearances with 225 over 77 games for the Twins last season. Over the previous two seasons, Gimenez has posted 380 total plate appearances.
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A compelling thing that also exists with Gimenez is his experience in catching current free-agent ace Yu Darvish. Gimenez started 26 games in 2014. In about half of the games (12), he caught Darvish. Gimenez could help to sway the right-hander to sign with the Cubs.
Anthony Bass, RHP
Next up is Bass, who spent 2017 with the Texas Rangers. In reality, Bass will probably not make the active roster out of Spring Training. After all, he has struggled with injuries over the past few years, which forced him to Japan for a season in 2016 after his release from the Mariners.
Nevertheless, Bass is 30 old and has found success in the big leagues before his injury. His big league debut came with the Padres in 2011. That year he appeared in 27 games, and started three of them, pitching 48.1 innings to a tune of a significantly low 1.68 ERA.
The Cubs bullpen is currently full with the likes of Carl Edwards Jr., Brian Duensing and Pedro Strop, to name a few, making it difficult for Bass to carve out a role. With this in mind, one could assume that unless he has a strong spring, that he will ultimately end up at Triple-A Iowa.
The right-hander is purely another depth move, as is signified by the minor league contract. The Cubs, however, see something in him to take a chance on him and that’s good enough for me.