The Chicago Cubs have agreed to a minor league contract with outfielder Joe Mather, according to Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus. Mather has spent time over the past three seasons with the Atlanta Braves and St. Louis Cardinals, but for the most part he's been Triple-A depth for a few different organizations.
Mather, 29, spent the 2011 season split between the Atlanta Braves and Colorado Rockies. He never appeared in the majors for Colorado, but he had 83 plate appearances with Atlanta. Over 294 career plate appearances since 2008, Mather has hit a combined .228/.283/.384, looking mostly overmatched by big league pitching.
He's been much better in the minors, though, posting a .269/.346/.460 line in 332 games for a few different Triple-A clubs. While he's unlikely to contribute much in the majors, he does the team some additional depth and an adequate utility player.
For more updates on Chicago sports, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more in-depth coverage of the Cubs, head over to Bleed Cubbie Blue. Also, check out MLB Daily Dish for more Cubs rumors and transactions.