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Scott Hairston is officially a member of the Chicago Cubs. The team finalized their two-year deal with the journeyman outfielder today. In doing so, the Cubs had to make room on their 40-man roster, so they designated Tony Campana for assignment.
Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune confirmed the deal's completion via Twitter this afternoon. Campana's roster move was a necessary one as the Cubs are already at capacity on their 40-man. Hairston will add another bat to the Cubs lineup, and he will bring veteran leadership (a quality the club could use during their rebuilding).
Hairston agreed to the two-year, $5 million deal on January 23rd. He had to undergo a physical before it would be finalized, and the Cubs had to make room on the roster. Both are apparently complete as Hairston officially takes on his new role as a member of the Chicago Cubs.
Related: More on the Hairston deal.
Hairston will be playing for his fifth Major League team this year. However, the comforting part for Hairston is that he will have at least two years in Chicago. Barring any issues resulting in his release or trade, Hairston will be guaranteed more than one season in a city for the first time since 2008.
The 32-year old was originally drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the third round of the 2001 draft. He played three and a half seasons in Arizona before being dealt to San Diego where he spent another two and a half years. Then the short stays began. Hairston was traded in the middle of the 2009 season to the Oakland A's. He was traded back to the Padres again in 2010, then he signed as a free agent with the Mets at the end of 2010. Hairston became a free agent after the 2011 season again, but he signed back with the Mets for 2012.
In his career, Hairston has hit .247/.302/.449. He showed some of the power he can have last season with the Mets. In 134 games-played (a career-high), Hairston hit .263/.299/.504 with 20 home runs. He sacrificed some of his on-base ability in order to hit with more power. Now, he will have to try to balance that out as he works to help the Cubs become competitive again.
