Aaron Miles’ arrival in Chicago was greeted with a collective shrug last year. Thursday, his departure earned a collective “Good riddance!” as the infielder was dealt to Oakland along with Jake Fox.
“We knew we were taking a chance on Aaron last year,” said Cubs GM Jim Hendry. “I just didn’t know how bad it would wind up.”
Miles hit only .185 in 2009 after injuries and a complete lack of skills severely limited his playing time. He has one year left on the two-year, $4.9 million contract Hendry signed him to for an unknown reason last off-season.
Fox was a popular player on last season’s unpopular team, but his average hitting and below-average fielding won’t be missed on the field next year. Hendry said it was what he did off the field that will be missed most.
“People don’t know this about Jake, but he’s great with pets,” said Hendry. “He used to walk my dogs when I was out of town. He was great at it. I’ll probably miss that most about him.”
By Brad Zibung
