"Austin, 34, has spent the past six seasons with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. He originally signed in NPB after spending parts of four big league seasons with the Yankees, Twins, Giants and Brewers, during which he posted a .219/.292/.451 slash with 33 homers in 583 turns at the plate."
"While Austin showed plenty of power over his relatively limited MLB tenure, he was far too prone to strikeouts, fanning in a grisly 36.9% of his career plate appearances in the majors. He's radically cut down on his strikeouts in Japan and has been especially productive the past two seasons, combining for a .299/.370/.559 slash with a 10.3% walk rate against a 19.2% strikeout rate."
"The Cubs signed him to a one-year, $1.25MM contract over the winter, putting him on the 40-man roster in the process. The hope was that he could spell Michael Busch against tough lefties after Busch hit just .207/.274/.368 in left-on-left matchups this past season and .230/.295/.366 in his career."
Tyler Austin, a 34-year-old first baseman/outfielder, underwent a debridement procedure on his right knee's patellar tendon and will miss months of play. The Cubs signed him to a one-year, $1.25MM contract to provide depth against left-handed pitchers and in corner outfield roles. Austin spent the past six seasons in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball after playing parts of four MLB seasons with four different teams. During his major league career, he struggled with a 36.9% strikeout rate despite showing power potential. In Japan, Austin significantly improved his contact skills, posting a .299/.370/.559 slash line with a 19.2% strikeout rate over his last two seasons, suggesting meaningful development in pitch selection and discipline.
Read at MLB Trade Rumors
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