The Chicago Cubs are once again looking for bargains to bolster their pitching staff. On Thursday, the club reportedly agreed to terms on a minor-league deal with a very old friend in pitcher Dan Straily.
His only time on the North Side was brief during the 2014 season. Cubs fans mostly remember the 35-year-old for being part of the Addison Russell and Dexter Fowler trades.
Once again, the Cubs are simply doing their due diligence to see if Straily can offer them any value. It's a similar situation to when they signed pitcher Julio Teheran earlier this season.
Reports on Tuesday indicated Straily had signed with the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League. But when a big-league team comes calling, it's preferable for the player to choose that route instead.
Since Straily's pact is a minor-league deal, the Cubs are taking on little risk while potentially getting a high reward for their MLB pitching staff if all goes well.
Straily spent 2020 to 2023 with the KBO's Lotte Giants. Usually, this is the type of move a player makes to rediscover his talents in hopes of getting noticed by an MLB club once again.
Erick Fedde of the Chicago White Sox is a recent example of a pitcher fixing some things overseas before returning to the States. If the Cubs extract value from Straily that way, they'd certainly strike gold.
It remains to be seen if Straily will even make his return as a Cub, but it never hurts to seek value in all different places.
More must-reads: