Hairston Here in Chicago

Yesterday the Cubs announced the signing of outfielder Scott Hairston. The Cubs have added another outfielder after mentioning the possibility at last weekend's Cubs Convention. Jed Hoyer had discussed the need of depth in the outfield. It seems that the Cubs did not delay in signing.


Last season Hairston hit 20 homers and posted a .263 average with the Mets.

The deal was made for 2 years and now only depends on a physical.

Scott Hairston is the newest addition to the Cubs roster.

Hairston will hopefully be a good addition, but some might be wondering where he will play. Soriano is in left, DeJesus is in center, and Schierholtz is in right. So where does that leave Hairston?? Well the Cubs and Hoyer have said that with Soriano now 37 they would like to give him some time off. Soriano says that the Cubs said the same thing last year, but he played the most games since coming to  the Cubs. It seems likely that Soriano will retain his position in left along with DeJesus in center. I would expect to see Schierholtz take  turns with Hairston.

If the name Hairston sounds familiar to you, it should. Scott is the younger brother of Jerry Jr. who played for the Cubs from 05-06.

To be honest, I do see the value that Hairston can bring to the Cubs, however I am a little scared that he could just be another at most average player. His numbers are not terrible but they certainly are not anywhere close to being great, or even good. I hope that Scott can bring better numbers than last year, and in the following season, because the Cubs did sign him for two years. I wish him the best of luck with his time with the Cubs.

Fujikawa is For Real

Friday officially marked the addition of Japanese pitcher Kyuji Fukijawa to the Cubs. Fujikawa formally played for the Hanshin Tigers and put up 220 saves in just 12 seasons. It was speculated that with the addition of the Japanese star, Marmol could lose his spot.

Jed Hoyer made the comments:
"Our goal is to have the best bullpen possible. Kyuji certainly adds to that. He's had a great career. If you look at his career, he was a dominant setup guy first and a dominant closer. We know he can do both roles. We look at it as adding a great arm, and we don't worry about the role."

It is now said that he will be used as a set up man for Marmol. I really hope that it works out because I really do like Marmol. He would be a phenomenal closer if he could keep himself under control. Sometimes games get just a little bit too exciting. 

The Cubs and Fujikawa agreed to $9.5 million over two years and a signing bonus of $1 million. The pitcher also has options to receive more based on the number of his starts etc. 

Fujikawa has said that he feels at home at Wrigley, plus he even likes it here. Hopefully the ace can add a little something to our bullpen and help the Cubs take the next step.

Here is a quick video from Cubs.com about the addition.