Ian Stewart is leaving the mountains of Colorado for the big city of Chicago after the Rockies traded him to the Cubs Thursday night for outfielder Tyler Colvin and infielder D.J. LeMahieu. The Cubs will also get right-handed reliever Casey Weathers.
Stewart is hoping to bounce back in 2012 after a disappointing season last year in which he batted .156 without a single home run in 122 at bats. Due to a sprained left wrist and being sent down to Triple-A for sucking, he played in only 48 games with the Rockies. He nailed 25 homers in 2009 and 18 more in 2010, so he's completely capable of handling a baseball bat. Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer thinks he'll be just fine:
“We felt like there was a ton of potential in there. He provides us a left-handed bat at third base, he’s the right age. He’s affordable, he’s controllable, and we expect big things out of Ian.”
Stewart will take over third base for free agent Ramirez, who is rumored to sign with the Milwaukee Brewers this winter. We'll keep you posted on that one.
Colvin, a former first-round pick, went yard 20 times in 2010 as a rookie, but slumped last season before being demoted to Triple-A; LeMahieu made his big league debut with Chicago last year and batted .250 over 37 games. Meanwhile, Weathers was 2-2 with a 5.32 ERA with Double-A Tulsa last season after missing the 2009 season due to Tommy John surgery.
[Chicago Tribune]
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