The Chicago Cubs have claimed infielder Luis Valbuena off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays, according to Keith Law of ESPN. Valbuena never played for Toronto after being claimed by the Blue Jays off waivers from the Cleveland Indians in November of last year.
Valbuena, 26, has split the past few seasons between Cleveland and Triple-A. In 2009, he made 398 plate appearances with the Indians, posting a .250/.298/.416 line. After a positively brutal 2010 season, Valbuena was back in the minors for most of 2011, hitting .302/.372/.476 with 17 homers in 472 PA's for Triple-A Columbus.
Chicago's bench already included Steve Clevenger, Jeff Baker, Blake DeWitt, Reed Johnson and Joe Mather, but it appears that Valbuena may join the Cubs as a sixth position player on the bench. That would leave the Cubs with a six-man bullpen to begin the 2012 season.
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