The Cubs announced Friday signing OF Chris Denorfia to a one-year contract. The Cubs and Denorfia agreed to terms on a contract with the team on Dec. 31. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
According to Jon Heyman, the one-year deal pays Chris Denorfia a base salary of $2.6 million and the contract includes a $400,000 incentives package.
To make room on the roster, the Cubs designated LHP Mike Kickham for assignment.
With Friday’s roster moves, the Cubs 40-man roster stands at 40 players.
Chris Denorfia, 34, is a career .272 hitter (530-for-1,950) in 705 major league games covering all or part of nine seasons with the Cincinnati Reds (2005-06), Oakland Athletics (2008-09), San Diego Padres (2010-14) and Seattle Mariners (2014). He has averaged 21 doubles, four triples, nine home runs and 13 stolen bases per 162 games played while turning in a career .331 on-base percentage and a .394 slugging percentage, good for a .725 OPS. Denorfia has played 352 big league games in right field, 248 games in left field and 164 games in centerfield.
The right-handed hitter is a career .292 hitter (240-for-823) with 19 home runs, 85 RBI, a .358 on-base percentage and a .430 slugging percentage vs. left-handed pitching. He has also excelled in games vs. the National League Central (.298 career batting average) and in games at Wrigley Field (.339 career batting average).
Denorfia began the 2014 campaign in San Diego before he was acquired by Seattle at the July 31 trade deadline. He combined to hit .230 (76-for-330) with 12 doubles, three home runs and 21 RBI in 121 games between the two stops. Denorfia had a career-best .293 batting average (102-for-348) and .796 OPS in 130 games for the Padres in 2012 and hit 10 home runs in 144 games for the Padres in 2013, both career highs.
A native of Bristol, Conn., Chris Denorfia was originally selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the 19th round of the 2002 Draft out of Wheaton College.
Mike Kickham, 26, was claimed off waivers from the San Francisco Giants last December 23.
Kickham appeared in two games for the Giants last season and allowed five runs on eight hits with a walk and a strikeout in two innings. Kickham made his big league debut in 2013, pitching in 12 games (three starts) and allowing 34 runs, 32 earned, on 46 hits with 10 walks and 29 strikeouts in 28 1/3 innings.
In 14 big league appearances, Kickham is 0-3 with a 10.98 ERA, a 2.14 WHIP and 6.02 FIP.
Last year for Triple-A Fresno, Mike Kickham was 8-8 in 27 starts with a 4.43 ERA and a 1.58 WHIP. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound lefty allowed 92 runs, 73 earned, on 171 hits with 131 strikeouts and 64 walks in 148 1/3 innings.