The Chicago Cubs have reached an agreement with outfielder Scott Hairston on a two-year deal, pending a physical according to FoxSports.com. The deal includes incentive clauses that could increase the value to $6 million. Hairston had drawn the interest of the New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves, and the New York Mets. Hairston hit .263/.299/.504 with a career-high 20 home runs and 57 RBI in 2012.
Hairston, 32, has a slash line of 247/.302/.449 in the major leagues. Hairston is likely ticketed to play right field for the Cubs, and possibly platoon with free-agent signee Nate Schierholtz. David DeJesus will play centerfield and Alfonso Soriano will be in left field. Hairston excels at hitting left-handed pitching with a .286/.317/.550 batting line and 11 homers in 189 plate appearances.
The Cubs under Theo Epstein have taken a patient approach to rebuilding the team. The Cubs finalized a four-year deal with free-agent right-hander Edwin Jackson and added Carlos Villanueva to the starting rotation. Epstein has also added the aforementioned Schierholtz and Japanese reliever Kyuji Fujikawa.
