Having released Carlos Silva and wound up with a couple starting pitchers on the disabled list, the Chicago Cubs have had their rotation depth put to the test early in the season. On Tuesday, they've made a move to bolster said depth, signing veteran Doug Davis to a minor league contract.
Davis will report to extended spring training to get stretched out, but he'll be given an excellent shot to make it to the bigs down the road. In that event, he'll earn a $900,000 prorated salary, and his contract contains bonuses giving the deal a maximum value of nearly $2 million. So an effective Davis could make some bank.
The 35-year-old lefty is coming off elbow surgery, and posted a 7.51 ERA in 38.1 innings with the Brewers last season. Over the six years before that, though, Davis made 196 starts and posted an ERA of 4.12, so he isn't without his hope so long as his walks don't get out of control.