Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports that the Cubs have signed lefty reliever Brian Matusz to a minor league deal. Matusz was traded from the Orioles to the Braves last month but was immediately designated for assignment and later released.
Matusz, 29, battled a back injury so he only made seven appearances for the Orioles. In six innings, he gave up eight runs on 11 hits and seven walks with only one strikeout.
Though Matusz didn’t work out as a starter for the Orioles, he found his calling pitching in relief. From 2013-15, he posted a 3.32 ERA in 151 2/3 innings. Over his career, he has held left-handed hitters to a .627 OPS, so he could prove to be a useful left-handed, one-out guy (LOOGY) for the Cubs.