According to a report, the Cubs continued to add to their pitching staff Friday night:
cubs sign dontrelle willis to minor-league deal Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) January 5, 2013
officially, d-train has an invite to cubs minor-league camp. but if he is throwing well, he may get chances in big camp Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) January 5, 2013
To say Willis has had an eventful career is a bit of an understatement. He turns 31 next week and has already pitched nine seasons in the majors.
The Cubs drafted the lanky lefty in the eighth round of the 2000 Draft before sending him to the Marlins in the deal that brought Matt Clement and Antonio Alfonseca to Chicago.
Willis burst onto the scene as a 21-year-old in 2003, winning 14 games and taking home the NL Rookie of the Year Award. He finished second in Cy Young voting in '05, when he won 22 games and finished with a 2.63 ERA.
In December 2007, he was packaged with Miguel Cabrera in a deal that sent both players to Detroit. Willis' first season there was a complete disaster as he appeared in eight games (seven starts) and walked 35 batters in 24 innings with a 9.38 ERA.
He hasn't been able to stick in the majors since and bounced around a bevy of teams before signing on with the Baltimore Orioles last year. But that didn't work out, either, and he voluntarily retired from the team in early July.