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The Chicago Cubs have come to an agreement with free-agent right-hander Carlos Villanueva on a two-year, $10 million contract, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
It was reported yesterday that the Cubs were close to locking down the 29-year-old right-hander, and now the club has officially added their fourth pitcher of the offseason. Villanueva joins fellow right-handers Scott Baker, Scott Feldman, and Kyuji Fujikawa as the new additions to Chicago's pitching arsenal.
The right-hander could be an addition to the back-end of the rotation if they are unable to sign Edwin Jackson -- who the club is reportedly making strong progress with -- but Villanueva will likely serve as a spot starter and long man out of the bullpen.
Villanueva made 38 appearances for the Blue Jays in 2012 -- including 16 starts -- posting a 4.16 ERA and 8.8 K/9 rate in 125⅓ innings. The right-hander topped 100 innings as a spot starter for Toronto each of the last two seasons, but struggled immensely with the long ball this past year.
Signed as an amateur free agent by the San Francisco Giants back in 2002, Villanueva owns a 4.26 ERA and 2.49 strikeout-to-walk ratio in parts of seven big-league seasons.
