The Cubs’ signing of Eric Hosmer as a free agent has been known for a couple of weeks now; after the Red Sox released him December 22, the Cubs were reported to have signed him to a deal which would cost the club only the minimum salary of $720,000. The remainder of Hosmer’s $13 million contract for 2022 is being paid by the Padres, who traded him to the Red Sox last summer.
Today, the Cubs signed Hosmer to a one-year contract for that minimum salary. To make room for Hosmer on the 40-man roster, righthanded reliever Mark Leiter Jr.