According to a report from the Chicago Tribune, the Cubs and veteran relief pitcher John Grabow have agreed to a two-year contract. The 31-year-old lefty came over to the Cubs in a midseason trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates -- a team with whom he had previously spent his entire six-season career. In 75 appearances in 2009, Grabow compiled a 3.36 ERA. He's a valuable commodity in late innings, not only because he's tough on lefties, who hit just .222 against him last season, but because he's nearly equally tough on right-handers -- who hit .238 against him.
Relief pitching was a problem for the Cubs last season, as their bullpen ERA (4.11) ranked 11th in the NL. In turn, keeping Grabow was a priority. Fortunately for the Cubs, the interest was mutual and the signing didn't take much time or effort.
