Jim Deshaies named Chicago Cubs' new color commentator

Houston Astros broadcaster Jim Deshaies will become the new color commentator of the Chicago Cubs after accepting an offer from WGN recently, Josh Timmers of Bleed Cubbie Blue writes. He'll be joining longtime play-by-play broadcaster Len Kasper for all of WGN's Cubs telecasts starting next year.

With WGN's hiring of Deshaies, the carousel of baseball color commentators continues. Former Cubs color man Bob Brenly is filling the same role for the Arizona Diamondbacks after leaving WGN in October, and now the Astros are in need of a new one after the departure of Deshaies.

Fans over at The Crawfish Boxes, SB Nation's Astros blog, seemed pretty upset about the possibility of Deshaies accepting the Cubs gig when his name was first floated, so he appears to have a strong reputation in Houston. While a transition period for the new broadcasting team is expected, reaction to this hiring generally seems positive right now.