This is another move that’ll have people complaining for no reason that Jed Hoyer only targets cheap deals, but it’s the kind of addition every team makes plenty of over the winter. Adding well-traveled reliever Phil Bickford on a non-guaranteed minor league contract presents zero risk and gives the Cubs a little more bullpen depth in the organization.
The 29-year-old spent most of last season in Triple-A and made eight appearances with the Yankees, pitching to an 8.64 ERA with six strikeouts and one walk in 8.1 innings. Over parts of five seasons, Bickford has a 4.