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The Cubs are in agreement with first baseman Tyler Austin on a one-year, $1.25 million deal, sources confirmed. When completed, it will be the Cubs’ first major-league position-player signing of the offseason.
Austin, 34, returns to MLB after spending the last six seasons playing for Nippon Professional Baseball’s Yokohama DeNA BayStars in Japan. He recorded a .945 OPS in 403 NPB games, according to Baseball Reference.
A former Yankees prospect, Austin was drafted out of high school in the 13th round in 2010, and he debuted in 2016. He last appeared in a major-league game in 2019, when he played for three different teams, including the Brewers, who were managed by now-Cubs manager Craig Counsell.