Cubs sign reliever Yardley to Minors contract

CHICAGO -- The Cubs added reliever Eric Yardley to their bullpen picture on Tuesday, signing the right-hander to a Minor League contract that includes an invitation to big league Spring Training.

The 31-year-old Yardley is a submarine-style reliever with a knack for inducing grounders, generating a 60.8 percent ground-ball rate over the course of his MLB career. In parts of three seasons spent with the Padres and Brewers, he has a 3.52 ERA with 31 strikeouts against 23 walks in 53 2/3 innings.

Per Statcast, Yardley featured a sinker (73 percent of the time), curveball (20.6 percent) and changeup (6.3 percent) last season, when he recorded a 6.75 ERA in 17 outings for the Brewers. That performance came after a strong showing in the abbreviated '20 campaign, during which he had a 1.54 ERA with 19 strikeouts and 10 walks in 23 1/3 innings for Milwaukee.