Brian Bogusevic, who opened last season as the Astros’ primary right fielder, was one of four players to sign minor league deals with the Cubs on Wednesday, Baseball America’s Matt Eddy reports.
The Cubs also added former Braves catcher J.C. Boscan, veteran utilityman Alberto Gonzalez and failed outfield prospect Johermyn Chavez.
Bogusevic, a 2005 first-round pick as a pitcher who later converted to the outfield, hit .203/.297/.299 with seven homers and 15 steals in 355 at-bats for the Astros last season. It’s kind of interesting to see him land with the Cubs considering that he was 3-for-30 with no extra-base hits in 13 games against the club last season; they’ve mostly caught him at his worst.
Bogusevic is the player in the group with the best chance of making the team, but he’ll still be a long shot. Boscan will be no higher than fourth on the catching depth chart. Gonzalez is going to be insurance in case an infielder gets hurt. Chavez has spent seven years in the minors and still hasn’t mastered Double-A.
