aka Manny Corpas:

Cubs Sign Manny Corpas
By Mark Polishuk [December 22 at 7:51pm CST]
The Cubs have signed right-hander Manny Corpas to a one-year deal, reports Bruce Levine of ESPN Chicago. Corpas underwent a physical today in Chicago and FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal (Twitter link) reports the contract is a Major League deal.

Corpas underwent Tommy John surgery in September 2010 and missed the entire 2011 season while recovering, though the Rangers signed him to a minor league pact last April. Texas also offered Corpas a Major League contract this winter, according to CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman (via Twitter).

Corpas, 29, enjoyed a superb 2007 season and emerged as the Rockies' closer during the team's run to the National League pennant. Corpas' success led Colorado to sign him to a four-year, $8.025MM extension, but Corpas failed to maintain his good form, posting a 4.82 ERA, a 10.4 H/9 and a 6.2 K/9 over the next three seasons. The Rockies released him after the 2010 campaign, eating the $3.75MM remaining on Corpas' contract.



I guess they've seen enough to put him on the 40 man roster (kind of surprising). Since they are now in full rebuild mode...:

Cubs Planning "Complete And Total Rebuild"
By Mark Polishuk [December 22 at 9:18pm CST]
The Cubs are attempting to deal "most of their valuable assets" before Spring Training begins and "a complete overhaul of the team will definitely happen," two Major League sources tell David Kaplan of CSN Chicago. The impending Sean Marshall-for-Travis Wood trade is the first step in this process, as the Cubs are acquiring a young, controllable, 24-year-old southpaw starter for a 29-year-old reliever who was set to earn $3.1MM in 2012.

We heard last month that the Cubs were shopping their entire roster, though as MLBTR's Tim Dierkes pointed out, "a team drawing three million fans a year doesn't often embark on a full-on offseason rebuilding effort." The Marshall-Wood trade, for instance, still gives Chicago a player who can contribute in 2012. Also, the Cubs were rumored to be in on the Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder sweepstakes this winter, as signing either player would represent the Cubs' first step towards respectability under the Theo Epstein/Jed Hoyer regime. Kaplan, however, hears that the Cubs aren't in on Fielder, nor are they planning to make him "a major offer."

"The Cubs have never had the guts to completely blow up their roster and build it the right way," an unnamed NL executive tells Kaplan. "They have to have a plan for sustained success instead of always trying to patchwork a roster for a surprising season."

Even if the team does rebuild, I'd argue the process may not take as long as the Wrigleyville fans may fear. Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster and Marlon Byrd all come off the books after this season, leaving Alfonso Soriano as the only major remaining albatross contract on the payroll. Chicago's future payroll commitments could get even lower should Matt Garza and/or Carlos Marmol be traded, so Epstein and Hoyer could have tens of millions of dollars to work with by as soon as next winter. This is admittedly a long list of ifs, but if this extra spending money can be augmented by a couple of strong drafts and the emergence of young stars like Andrew Cashner and Brett Jackson, the Cubs could be back in the NL Central hunt by as soon as 2014.



...they must figure this is a guy they can flip for prospects at or before the deadline if he proves effective again.

Once again, as with most of these moves, we shall see. I have to question why tie up a spot on the 40 man roster however (although they had 6 prior to this signing I believe).

i like the move. you turn marshall, a quality relief pitcher nearing the end of his contract, into some young players. you sign veterans to one-year deals - no long-term commitment. if marshall has another good year (no reason to think he wont, but you never know), odds are good that a contending team next years throws a lot of money at him and he goes, and you get nothing in return.

i know nothing about the guys they got for marshall outside of wood's numbers and it may or may not pan out, but i like the idea. if corpas sucks, itll be no big deal. 1 and done.