On Tuesday, the Chicago Cubs signed left handed relief pitcher Pedro Feliciano to a minor league deal with an MLB Spring Training invite. The 38-year-old Feliciano will make a base salary of $700,000 if he ends up making the big league team according to Jon Morosi of Fox Sports.

The lefty specialist was worked hard in his time with the New York Mets, leading the league in appearances in 2008, 2009 and 2010. Injuries have held Feliciano back ever since, as he has only appeared in 25 games since 2011.

In 484 career relief appearances, all of which came with the Mets, Feliciano has a career 3.33 ERA and has struck out 8.2 batters per nine innings. The Cubs’ bullpen is mostly set in place, but they lack an obvious left-handed option. Feliciano will join Zac Rosscup, Joe Ortiz and lefty starters who do not end up making the rotation (Travis Wood, Tsuyoshi Wada and Felix Doubront) as left-handed options for the Cubs’ bullpen.

Feliciano was once one of the most effective lefty bullpen specialists in the league. While it is fair to question whether he will return to his past success, this is a low-risk move for the Cubs with a little bit of upside.

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About the author
Dan Schmelzer
Dan is a 25-year-old writer who specializes in Chicago Cubs content. Dan also writes about the Iowa Hawkeyes, Fantasy Football, and covers the NFL.