Victorino Inks Minor League Deal with Cubs
One day after swiping Dexter Fowler out from underneath the Baltimore Orioles, the Chicago Cubs add more outfield depth with Shane Victorino, who has been signed to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training. Victorino, who hit just .230/.308/.292 last season for the Red Sox and Angels, faces a tough road to cracking the Cubs’ roster that now includes outfielder Fowler, Jorge Soler, Kyle Schwarber, former Villanova wide receiver Matt Szczur, Javier Baez, and big-money free agent Jason Heyward.
Victorino is now 35 and it’s been over three years since Shane Victorino was last a Phillie. Since being traded from Philadelphia to the Dodgers in the summer of 2012 for a package centered around Ethan Martin, Victorino became a key piece of the 2013 Boston Red Sox World Series championship team. Victorino, after posting a .294/.351/.451 with 15 HR and 21 SB line in 2013, regressed pretty hard in the last two seasons of his three-year, $39 million deal he signed with the Red Sox prior to the 2013 season.
The Flyin’ Hawaiian won three Gold Gloves with the Phillies, adding a fourth in 2013 with the Red Sox. If he makes the Cubs, it will be his 13th Major League season.
