*Photo from Arizona Sports*
The Chicago Cubs have signed OF Steven Souza Jr to a one year deal, according to mlb.com's Mark Feinsand. The financial terms of the deal have not been released. Souza's deal is pending a physical. When news first broke, it was reported that the Cubs and Souza were close on a minor league deal, but that has since changed, as Souza's deal is a major league contract. He seems to be a replacement for Nicholas Castellanos in Right Field.
Souza has been injured often, most recently missing all of the 2019 season after he sustained a major knee injury at the end of Spring Training. He also missed a large chunk of 2018 after suffering a strained pectoral muscle. He signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2018, and he only played 72 games with the team, all in the 2018 season. He should make an impact with the Cubs with his talent, but he can only do that if he manages to stay on the field for an extended period of time. He's expected to compete for playing time with outfielders Kyle Schwarber, Ian Happ, Albert Almora Jr, and Jason Heyward on the team already.
Before his short time with the D-Backs, Souza Jr had a career season in 2017, hitting .239 with 30 homers and 78 RBI for the Tampa Bay Rays. That prompted a two year deal from Arizona in the winter. In his limited action in 2018, he hit .220 with 5 homers and 29 RBI for the D-Backs. In 5 big league seasons that he has played games in, Souza is a career .233 hitter with 70 homers and 198 RBI in between the Washington Nationals, Rays, and D-Backs.
Comments
Post a Comment