That didn’t take long.
Less than a week after he was formally released by the Chicago Cubs, Jose Veras has agreed to a minor league deal with the Houston Astros, according to Brian McTaggart. Veras, 33, was signed by the Cubs in the offseason to be their closer, a role in which he lasted about a week. (A warning to future Cubs relievers: if you are named the closer in Spring Training, you are DOOMED.) As the bullpen bloated with actual talent (as opposed to mere roster bloat), the Cubs decided to cut bait on Veras.
Veras actually pitched exceptionally well for the Astros last year before being traded midseason to the Tigers, so this is probably as good of a fit as there is for him right now. Hopefully he gets himself back on track.
As for implications for the Cubs, it turns out that there’s a small one: if and when Veras makes the big league roster, the Astros will be on the hook for the pro-rated portion of the Major League minimum ($500,000). The Cubs have to pay the rest of his contract for the year ($4 million), but, if Veras comes up in, say, early July, the Cubs could wind up saving $200,000 to $250,000.
So, um, hooray!