As noted in the comments, yesterday the Chicago Cubs agreed to a one-year deal with Jeff Baker. The utility infielder will make $1.175 million next year. He mashes lefties, but you have to wonder whether Darwin Barney or (soon-to-be-lost) Marquez Smith couldn’t have handled the same duties for far less. Still, Baker is a decent bench player, so I am not going to complain.
Koyie Hill is another story. With the tender, the Cubs have four catchers on the 40-man roster (which stands at 39), and have left third base prospect Marquez Smith unprotected for the upcoming Rule Five Draft. I try to give the benefit of the doubt where due, but even if one of Robinson Chirinos or Welington Castillo is ticketed for an offseason trade, paying Koyie Hill $1 million to block the other one of those guys, and to take up a valuable roster spot is nothing short of organizational incompetence.