Former Yankees OF Signs with Hometown Cubs After Stint in Korea
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Mike Tauchman is heading home.
The former Yankees outfielder has signed a minor league deal with the Chicago Cubs, according to the team’s transaction log. Tauchman, 32, is from Palatine, Illinois, a Chicago suburb. He attended William Fremd High School and stayed in-state to play collegiately at Bradley University.
Tauchman is coming off a one-year stint with the Hanwha Eagles of the Korean Baseball Organization. The lefty swinger enjoyed his time overseas, on the field anyway, as he slashed .289/.366/.430 with 37 doubles, four triples, 12 home runs, 43 RBI and 19 stolen bases.
Tauchman has not had that productive of a season since his debut campaign with the Yankees in 2019. Acquired from the Rockies prior to that season, Tauchman was part of New York’s “Next Man Up” contingent – a group of players who exceeded expectations after injuries forced the team to rely on its depth that year.
Tauchman set career-highs in 2019 with 87 games played, 296 plate appearances, 18 doubles, 13 homers, 47 RBI and a .277/.361/.504 slash line.
However, a lingering right shoulder injury hindered Tauchman in 2020, and he failed to go deep or make much of an impact at the plate over 43 games. He made 11 more appearances for the Yankees in 2021 before being traded to the Giants for Wandy Peralta and prospect Connor Cannon.
Tauchman struggled some more in San Francisco, while Peralta emerged as one of the Yankees’ most trusted relievers. The southpaw owns a 2.82 ERA over 102 games since the trade.
While Tauchman hasn’t had much success in the majors aside from 2019, he now has a chance to build off a strong season in Korea. A strong defender with some speed, he’ll presumably get a chance to compete for a spot on the Cubs bench this spring.
MORE:
- Ex-Yankees Outfielder Signs Minor League Deal With Twins
- Four Former Yankees Sign With New Teams on Minor League Deals
- Mets Showing Interest in Signing Ex-Yankees Reliever
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