Per Corey Brock of MLB.com, the San Diego Padres announced late Wednesday night that they have come to terms with minor league pitcher Marcos Mateo to a contract. Mateo, 30, spent the past few seasons with the Chicago Cubs. He had been taken in the Rule 5 draft last year by the Arizona Diamondbacks, but was eventually returned to the Cubs when he was left off the big league roster.
— Corey Brock (@FollowThePadres) January 7, 2015
Last season, Mateo pitched in Triple-A Iowa for the Cubs, and the Padres continue to add power arms to the organization. Mateo should get a long look in spring training to help A.J. Preller fill out Bud Black‘s bullpen heading into the 2015 regular season. He spent 2010 and 2011 with the big club in Chicago, posting a career mark of 1-3, with an extremely high ERA of 5.04. Mateo holds a career 10.3 K/9, all out of the bullpen.
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During the 2014 season in Iowa, Mateo posted a 3-0 record with an ERA of 3.86, and a K/9 of 10.4, which is right on par with his brief big league career. He’s logged close to 500 professional innings in the minors along with his two seasons with the Cubs at the big league level.