New general manager Jed Hoyer made it known on Tuesday that the Chicago Cubs were in the market for essentially everything, but specifically noted a left-handed bat was among the team's biggest needs.
Less than 24 hours later, Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports was reporting the Cubs had signed a new left-handed bat in 31-year-old outfielder David DeJesus. The new deal, which SI's Jon Heyman reports is worth $10 million over two years, makes DeJesus the first acquisition of the Theo Epstein regime in Chicago.
It's not the splashy first move many fans were likely hoping for, but the affordable deal is a good place to start their offseason shopping. It's also safe to assume DeJesus alone won't satisfy their desire for left-handed punch. However, the veteran's presence should give them a regular right fielder and a possible top of the order fixture for at least the next two seasons, and possibly beyond if Chicago exercises the $6.5 million option in 2014.
Down year in 2011 aside, DeJesus is usually a good bet to post a solid on-base percentage. That's what has made DeJesus an Epstein target in the past — he attempted to trade for DeJesus prior to the 2010 trade deadline — and likely put him on the Cubs radar this offseason despite his lack of ideal corner outfield power. He's also an undeniable upgrade over Tyler Colvin and Bryan LaHair, who spent time in right field after Kosuke Fukudome was shipped to the Cleveland Indians last season.
But regardless of how or where DeJesus ultimately fits in the Cubs lineup, there was little question on Wednesday that his wife, Kim, a Chicago native and apparently a lifelong Cubs fan, was overjoyed to be going home. Not long after the signing was reported, she went to Twitter with the following messages.
She wasn't lying
.Also, it might be a good thing for David that Epstein and Hoyer passed on hiring Ryne Sandberg.
Love the double meaning of that last line in that one. After spending most of Wednesday afternoon interacting positively with Cubs fans, she concluded the love fest with the following.
I can barely handle the excitement of one Christmas morning, so obviously Wednesday was an overwhelming day for the DeJesus family. It sounds like a dream scenario for them, and a likely explanation for how Chicago landed him at less than his anticipated market value. That makes it good for everybody.
At least for now.
Unfortunately, this honeymoon, just like every other, has an expiration date, so here's hoping Mrs. DeJesus is prepared for the less than welcoming tweets that will come if her husband strikes out on opening day with the tying run on third, or his overall play is more on par with the disappointing 2011 season with the Oakland A's.
Not that they need to stress about that while the honeymoon period is still ongoing.
By the way, in case you're wondering how this baseball wife feels about "Baseball Wives," which debuted Wednesday night on VH-1, she also shared her opinion on that.
As someone who watched roughly 30 minutes of that show: Whew. That's a relief.
Follow Mark on Twitter — @Townie813 — and engage the Stew on Facebook