Cubs Sign Outfielder Mike Baxter

With 19 days to go until Cubs pitchers and catchers report to Mesa, and 24 days until the full squad is due, the Cubs have made another minor-league signing:

Former @VandyBaseball standout Mike Baxter has signed with the @Cubs.

— Dave Ammenheuser (@NashSportsEd) January 31, 2015

As noted, Baxter played his college ball at Vanderbilt, so he was there at the same time as current Cubs minor-league pitching coordinator Derek Johnson.

Baxter was the Padres' fourth-round pick in 2005, but never had any real success in the minors until 2010, when he hit .301/.382/.517 with 18 home runs and 22 steals for Triple-A Portland. The next season he went to the Mets via waivers and hit .263/.365/.413 in 211 plate appearances as a spare-part outfielder. Claimed on waivers again by the Dodgers last offseason, he had just seven big-league at-bats for L.A. (he played in both of the games the Dodgers played in Australia, plus two others in early April) and hit .289/.365/.439 for Triple-A Albuquerque. He's a lefthanded hitter.

He'll almost certainly get a NRI to spring training. I'm expecting the non-roster list to come out sometime next week and as soon as I get it, I'll post it. The Cubs generally have about 25 non-roster invitees in camp, some from the system and some outside signees like Baxter. He's likely headed to Iowa to be an injury-replacement guy.