Cubs Issue Chang-yong Lim Spring-Training Invite

Chang-yong Lim, who pitched really well in the Cubs' system in 2013 coming off Tommy John surgery and made a few appearances for the Cubs in September, will be a non-roster invitee to Cubs spring training, according to this English-language Korean news report:

Kim Dong-wook, head of the local sports agency Sports Intelligence, said the 37-year-old right-hander will try to make the big league team again when the Cubs' camp opens in mid-February in Arizona.

The Cubs non-tendered Lim last month, making him a free agent on paper, but Kim said the Cubs have informed him that they still retain rights to the pitcher.

"We had no plans to move Lim," Kim said. "He has been invited to the Cubs' spring training."

Lim, who will turn 38 in June, made 21 appearances at four different minor-league levels in 2013, posting a 1.61 ERA and 0.896 WHIP in 22⅓ innings, with seven walks and 24 strikeouts. Of his six outings for the Cubs, four were good, one mediocre, one bad. The Korean news article has a few more details on Lim's preparation for 2014:

According to Kim, Lim has been training on his own in Guam and had bullpen sessions last Sunday and earlier on Tuesday.

Kim said Lim has switched plans to spend some time in South Korea later this month before reporting to the Cubs' camp, and instead will keep training in Guam until early February and fly to Arizona from there.

You can't have too many pitchers. The Cubs will, at the very least, have much more depth from which to choose a 2014 bullpen. We should have word on the rest of the Cubs' 2014 non-roster invitees within a week or so.