The Cubs signed left-hander Hong-Chih Kuo to a minor league deal, Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reports (on Twitter). Kuo signed a Major League deal with the Mariners in February and has been a free agent since Seattle released him in March.
Kuo struggled through 40 appearances in 2011, posting a 9.00 ERA with 12.0 K/9 and 7.7 BB/9 and missing time with an anxiety disorder. His results were much better before last year; he had a 3.19 career ERA with 10.5 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 entering the 2011 season. The 30-year-old Octagon client underwent his fifth career elbow surgery in October of 2011 and the Dodgers non-tendered him two months later.
Finally another Lefty!
So excited for this signing, hes exactly what we need.
I assume you’re joking, though Internet sarcasm can be difficult to detect.
You have correctly detected my sarcasm
shouldve got moyer, would be good out of bullpen, or recalled scott maine. the cubs do need a new lefty specialist because russell looks to be the new closer
Are you guys serious?
A 9:00 ERA and 5 elbow surgeries….that would certainly cause some anxiety I’d say
Cubs sure in love with with ex-Dodgers this month who can’t find the strike zone anymore…
Hopefully Kuo can get it back together; he was great for LA when healthy (physically & mentally).
And why didnt we go after Jeff Francis?? Seriously???
wow I thought with new management the cubs would be smarter.. This literally makes ZERO sense.. and is a complete waste of time… at least sign a veteran that can teach these guys how to play the sport they are trying to play..They look like a bunch of kids running around lost at a chuck e cheese!! the cubs are 3 years away from contending again at best.. they have 1 good starting pitcher who will stick around and 2 good guys in the lineup and basically no one in the pen.. I know teams can turn it around from year to year but with the horrible farm system and the horrible coaching staff and everyday players they are a long ways away from contending.. yes I am a sox fan but I do live next to Wrigley and it makes me sad to see everyone in my area upset that the cubs keep raising prices and getting worse and worse year after year. they cannot be any worse then they are this year. I mean I haven’t seen a team play this bad possibly in my whole life.
Does no one here pay any attention to the Rays and how they put together their bullpen? Over and over, they sign relievers coming off bad years or injuries who have success in their past. And every year, they sort through these guys and find some gems.
No one in the Cubs organization is fool enough to think they’ve found someone who can slot right in as a top lefty specialist. They’re just stockpiling warm bodies with track records coming off hard times and figuring some of them will turn it around.
Kuo is younger than Francis and has more talent than Francis ever had. If he is over his physical and mental issues, this could be a great signing. If not, very little risk was involved.
agree
One of the best lefty relievers in the game when healthy. Hope he works out for the Cubs.
As a Dodgers fan, I was very sad to see him go despite his troubles. When healthy, you’d be hard pressed to find a better lefty. Best of luck to him.
The concept of “when healthy” doesn’t mean that much for a player who has rarely been healthy. I wish him luck too, but honestly I believe the Dodgers got his only good years.