Cubs, Hernán Pérez reach Minors deal (source)
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Utility player Hernán Pérez has agreed to a Minor League deal with the Cubs and will be a non-roster invitee to Spring Training, a source has told MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. MLB Network insider Jon Heyman was the first to report the deal.
Perez, 28, is a light hitter, but he can play in the infield and outfield. Chicago is looking for bench depth after non-tendering shortstop Addison Russell, and though there are several in-house options to potentially provide it -- 40-man-roster options include Ian Happ, David Bote, Daniel Descalso, Tony Kemp and Robel Garcia -- the club is expanding the pool of candidates.
Perez hit .228/.262/.379 with eight home runs in 246 plate appearances for the Brewers last season. Over an eight-year career that began with the Tigers before he was traded to Milwaukee in 2015, Perez has a .668 OPS (75 OPS+), though he hits lefties significantly better than righties -- his career OPS vs. left-handed pitchers is .736, whereas against right-handers it's .632.