10:21pm: Bruce Levine of ESPN Chicago reports that Lopez will earn $900K if he is on the big league roster or $235K in the minors.
4:06pm: The Cubs have signed Rodrigo Lopez to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training, according to Fernando Ballesteros at the Mexican baseball magazine Puro Béisbol (via Twitter). The team had been reported to be interested in bringing back the journeyman pitcher, and Ballesteros reported on Monday that rumors of the signing began circulating in the Mexican media over the weekend.
Lopez, 36, signed a minor league deal with the Braves last January but didn't make the roster out of spring training. After being traded to the Cubs in May, he played the role of a softer-tossing version of new Red Sox swingman Vicente Padilla, working in long relief and occasionally closing while waiting out a spot in the rotation. Lopez ended up logging 16 starts over the late summer, earning a 4.42 ERA with 5.0 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 over 116 innings.
Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
You can never have enough pitching…
I’m not sure this is “pitching”
This was the key – Theo to Jed – print the playoff tickets –
Dreamicide.
Rodrigo “Cubs Savior” Lopez
Theo…what a sense of humor
World Series, here we come!!
where have i heard that before???
-Clap!- -Clap!- -Clap!- -Clap!-
Bravo sir. Bravo.
All that clapping…
Quade, is that you?
I wish! /s
Quite funny. Would read again. 😐
I will fight for the end of this lame, unfunny gag if it’s the last thing I ever do.
Let this joke *GO* for crying out loud.
I just don’t know what I’d do without my daily does of, “World series here we come.” jokes. They’re just so clever. Every. Single. One.
Yup – a year later I have stumbled on this again and it is not funny. Haha. Sorry, all.
Well at least he is #9 on the depth chart this year and not #4.
Don’t count on that. In baseball terms they’re all “not good”
Send him to Boston
when is the next flight to Logan
It’s a minor league deal for a few bucks. No harm.
Boston’s compensation, on the way!
Lopez is one of those rare guys who’s good every 10 years. Theo and Jed, shrewd as they are, clearly know that.
Lopez in 2002 was a quality starter and clearly that’s what’s expected here. Great signing! We’ll be able to flip him to the Yankees at mid season.
Good every ten years? How many years has he been in baseball for, 60? And flipped to the Yankees? The Yankees have too many starters right now. They don’t need any more. Especially someone like Rodrigo Lopez.
Did you really not get he was kidding? Or is this some gag of your own?
I can’t even tell on this website anymore.
Dude, I feel you. Same thing happened to me the other day.
why does everyone act like every move theo and jed make is what’s going to put the team over the top? these are moves every good team makes. you add old soft tossers on minor league deals in case you get a surprise rash of injuries, or just want an older guy in AAA to show the kids how to be a professional. better to have him and not need him than to need him and not have him.
Agreed. Rather they throw a guy like Lopez in the rotation for a few weeks sometime this season in the event of an injury as opposed to rushing a minor leaguer who may not be ready. And I don’t believe any of the Cubs’ pitching prospects are ready – yet.
Regardless if they are ready they need to be called up its a no risk situation for the Cubs they do well great if they don’t oh well go back down for a month and work on their mechanics. The season is a loss anyway so if they give guys like Brett Jackson and Jay Jackson and Vitters a chance to play every day it will show if they are ready or not. Then trading Soto and Soriano for a couple of hot dogs and a minor league ball boy TBNL and sign dude from Cuba they will be a pretty decent team in 2015.
i hear sidney ponson needs work or maybe mike maroth.
I’m actually glad he’s back. He’s not great, but he’s at least serviceable. Better than Ramon Ortiz, anyway.
I thought they were the same person :-/
I’m actually glad he’s back. He’s not great, but he’s at least serviceable. Better than Ramon Ortiz, anyway.
Funny how a Rodrigo Lopez article can get 41 comments.
In other news, the Cubs sent Rodrigo Lopez to the Boston Red Sox as compensation for the Theo Epstein signing. Reports are that RLo was seen at Fenway bringing the bag of balls (and a deep dish) that was sent with him from TheoJed.
he’s ok
16 starts 10 quality
Yay, more “depth”.
isn’t he a brewers fan? prob just workin’ out that packers loss in his own special way.
get a life, dirtball
as opposed to a comment like this which is inherently racist?
I think he’s a Braves fan, but the fact that he has “Hawpe” in his name and a Miller Lite can doesn’t help.
That would be a Miller Lite bottle, not a can… (sorry had to nitpick on that…)
yeah. he trolls every single cubs story. hopefully his mom kicks him out of her basement soon.