Former Cubs pitcher signs with Royals |
Another Chicago Cubs player is headed to the Kansas City Royals alongside former outfielders Jorge Soler and John Jay and standout closer Wade Davis.
The Royals announced on Sunday that they have signed veteran reliever Justin Grimm to a one-year deal worth a reported guaranteed $1.25 million with an extra $300,000 in possible performance bonuses. Honestly, Grimm has fantastic stuff but is just wild. If he can harness his control for the Royals, this is a shrewd move by their management. However, the odds are that he will continue to be a little erratic in 2018. He was reportedly a great teammate, wonderful guy in the community, and fun to be around with the media during his years with the North Siders. "Good for him," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said about Grimm on Sunday. "I didn't think it would take long. He has a great arm, he's got a good reputation and he's a great teammate. I hope it works out well."" The new scenery could work wonders for Grimm as he only allowed .200 batting average against him during away games while opponents hit .262 against him at Wrigley Field. During this spring, the righty pitched four innings giving up six hits, four walks, four runs including two homers. In 2017, Grimm had a miserable 5.53 ERA with a save, 59 strikeouts, and 1.34 WHIP between stints in Triple-A Iowa and the Cubs. He gave up 12 homers in 55 1/3 innings last season, and seven of those home runs were served up at Wrigley Field. He made $1.825 million last season and just went through arbitration to get a non-fully guaranteed $2.4 million in 2018. The Cubs owed him $541,000 in termination pay instead of the $2.4 million. For his career, he has a 4.70 ERA with four saves, 350 strikeouts, and 1.38 WHIP. The Texas Rangers drafted him in the fifth round of the 2010 MLB draft. Thank you, @GrimmReaper_52, for your time as a Cub and for helping bring a World Series title to Chicago. #Champion pic.twitter.com/YvhfO72v3q
We've signed RHP Justin Grimm to a one-year contract for the 2018 season. Welcome to the #Royals, Justin! pic.twitter.com/3t9Ue3htUt
Say hello to our newest Royal: @GrimmReaper_52. ?? pic.twitter.com/cwavAiQWD3
