Chicago Cubs’ claim Liam Hendriks, sign Ryan Roberts

The Chicago Cubs have added a little bit of depth at two positions that they need some help with.

When you think about it, the Cubs really don’t have anybody at second base besides Darwin Barney. Third base was a problem for them last year also, as they swapped between Cody Ransom, Luis Valbuena and Donnie ‘The Lakewood Monster’ Murphy.

That’s a nickname I gave him by the way. Not an official nickname, but I decided to run with it.

Now today they’ve signed infielder Ryan Roberts to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training. He batted .247/.295/.377 across the line with five home runs and 17 RBI’s in 162 games with the Tampa Bay Rays.

Darwin Barney will more than likely have a solid back up in Roberts.

Another weak spot for this team happens to be their pitching. Their starters started off strong, but their bullpen blew way too many leads in games they should have won. It was bad enough the offense would hit a brick wall and were unable to provide some runs to help out the bullpen.

Anyways, the Cubs claimed right handed pitcher Liam Hendriks off waivers from the Minnesota Twins. He was designated for assignment to make room for Phil Hughes. He posted a career 6.06 ERA over 156 innings with a 2.99 ERA in the minors.

He turns 25 years old in February and more than likely end up with their Triple-A affiliate.