On the day that catcher Jordan Pacheco was claimed on waivers by the Arizona Diamondbacks – and, thus, by deduction, passed on by the Chicago Cubs – the Cubs signed veteran catcher Yorvit Torrealba to a minor league deal.
Torrealba signed a minor league deal with the Angels before the season, but he apparently hasn’t played, and eventually opted out, back into free agency. The 35-year-old backstop appeared in 61 games for the Rockies last year, hitting .240/.295/.285.
This is a minor league deal in its truest sense. The Cubs need some upper level catching depth, merely to provide themselves some roster-shuffling options (eventually, Welington Castillo is going to return from his rib cage injury, and the Cubs will have to send Eli Whiteside out, and having Torrealba in the minors could provide a backstop (no pun) if Whiteside winds up leaving the organization, and the Cubs don’t want to rush up someone like Rafael Lopez).