With the half-billion dollar renovation of Wrigley Field looming and pressure to keep their payroll at bay, Chicago Cubs General Manager Jed Hoyer said he’s searching for middle relief pitchers via online retail outlets, such as eBay and Craig’s List.
“What’s good about shopping online is that we can eliminate automatically the sports agent’s commission, saving us about 10 percent of the player’s salary,” Hoyer told Cubs.com. “We haven’t looked so much at ‘new’ as much as we’re looking at ‘used.'”
While the GM wouldn’t say what players he’s found so far, several news outlets report that former Cubs Kyle Farnsworth, John Grabow and Ramon Ortiz could be headed back to Chicago.
“We have three or four left-handers and a dozen right-handers in our shopping cart right now, but we’re not quite ready to check out,” said Hoyer. “And, of course, we must consider if players will come with free shipping.”
