Report: RHP Jason Hammel will return to the Chicago Cubs
Jason Hammel and the Chicago Cubs have agreed to a deal that will bring the righthanded pitcher back to Chicago, five months after the Cubs traded him to Oakland, ESPNChicago.com's Jesse Rogers reported on Monday morning.
The reported terms of the deal are $18 million over two years, including a team option with a $2 million buyout. Chicago traded Hammel and pitcher Jeff Samardzija to the Athletics this July in exchange for prospects Addison Russell, Billy McKinney and Dan Straily.
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Hammel appeared in 13 games for Oakland, going 2-6 with a 4.26 ERA over 68 innings. Last winter, Hammel, 32, signed a one-year, $6 million deal with the Cubs. In 17 games before Chicago traded him, he had an 8-5 record with a 2.98 ERA in 108.2 innings pitched.
In nine years in the major leagues, Hammel has spent time with the Tampa Bay Rays, Colorado Rockies, Baltimore Orioles, Cubs and A's. He has a career 4.60 ERA and a 59-70 record in 245 games. Last season was the second time in Hammel's nine-year career that he posted an ERA below four.
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The Cubs closed the 2014 season with a 73-89 record, finishing fifth in the NL Central.
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