Former Lance Lynn-Yankees Twin trades contract with Cubs after six seasons in Japan

Cubs, former Twins and Yankees first baseman Tyler Austin agree to a one-year MLB deal

The Chicago Cubs have signed former Minnesota Twins first baseman Tyler Austin to a one-year deal worth $1.25 million, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan And Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

Austin, 34, spent the past six seasons in Japan and slashed .293/.377/.568 with 85 home runs and 236 RBI in 1,491 at-bats.

The New York Yankees selected Austin in the 13th round of the 2010 MLB Draft. Before 2013, MLB Pipeline had him ranked No. 75 in the league, and Baseball America had him No. 77.

Austin struggled to maintain a full-time role in the Majors, prompting him to move to Japan. He made his MLB debut with the Yankees in 2016. He played in 85 games for New York over parts of three seasons, slashing .230/.287/.459 (97 OPS+) with 15 home runs and 43 RBI before being traded to the Twins for righty Lance Lynn on July 30, 2018. As a Yankee in 2018, Austin stormed the mound after being hit by a pitch from Boston Red Sox righty Joe Kelly, sparking a brawl between the American League East rivals.

Austin played in 35 games with the Twins in 2018, then played in just two games with them in 2019 before being designated for assignment and then traded to the San Francisco Giants for left fielder Malique Ziegler. Austin hit .236/.298/.488 (110 OPS+) with nine home runs and 24 RBI in 141 at-bats with the Twins.

Austin hit .185/.279/.400 (78 OPS+) in 70 games with San Francisco in 2019. The Giants designated him for assignment in August of that year, after which he signed with the Milwaukee Brewers. He hit .200/.370/.450 (112 OPS+) in 27 at-bats with Milwaukee before signing with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. He has dealt with numerous injuries during his time in Japan, but when healthy he has impressed enough to earn an MLB contract.

The Cubs already have a first baseman in left-handed hitter Michael Busch, who posted 4.6 bWAR and a .261/.343/.523 (147 OPS+) slash line with 34 home runs and 90 RBI for Chicago this past season. However, Busch struggled against lefties, hitting .207/.274/.368. Therefore, the Cubs will likely start Austin at first base if the opposing starting pitcher is a lefty.