The Cubs have signed righty Andury Acevedo to a major league deal and added him to their 40-man roster, the club announced today. He had reached the open market as a minor league free agent.
The 25-year-old Acevedo sped up the ladder in the Yankees organization last year after starting the season at High-A. He ultimately reached the Triple-A level in time to make ten late-season appearances.
Acevedo, a converted infielder, worked to a composite 2.59 ERA with 7.5 K/9 against 3.2 BB/9 over 59 total frames. He seemed to have limited the severe control issues he showed in his first couple of seasons after moving to the mound, but he did allow nine free passes in his 10 2/3 frames at the highest level of the minors.
This signing represents yet another example of the phenomenon of teams handing 40-man spots to minor league free agents. It’s not yet clear what kind of timeline the Cubs expect out of the unpolished righty, but clearly they were intrigued by his upside.
