Chicago Cubs Ticket Blog

The Chicago Cubs made their first big move of the off-season by acquiring left handed first-basemen Carlos Pena. General manager Jim Hendry signed the free agent slugger to a 1-year, 10 million dollar contract this past Wednesday. The Dominican power hitter spent the first six years of his big league career bouncing around the American League, playing for Texas, Oakland, Detroit, and Boston. Pena flourished in 2007 when he joined the Tampa Bay Rays and had a career high 46 home runs and 121 RBIs. Since his breakout season in 2007, Pena’s numbers have declined. The 32-year-old had a dismal .196 batting average last season, but did knock in 84 runs. In desperate need for a powerful lefty bat, the Cubs are hoping Pena can break the century mark this season in RBIs. On the upside, Pena does play well in the field and won’t cause problems in the clubhouse. The Cubs will need help at the plate with Aramis Ramirez penchant for picking up injuries and the always unpredictable stick of Alfonso Soriano. Although some were hoping for a flashier move by the front office, Cubs brass and fans alike are hoping the Pena move pans out.