Report: Cubs close to deal to bring back Jason Hammel

The Chicago Cubs need to bolster their starting rotation, that’s no secret. That’s why they’re going hard after Jon Lester and why they’re reportedly close to bringing back a guy they traded away last July.

Jason Hammel, who was sent to Oakland with Jeff Samardzija in the Fourth of July blockbuster, will be back in a Cubs uniform in 2015, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. No particulars are known on the deal yet, but Hammel was supposedly seeking a three-year contract. He made $6 million in 2014.

Hammel, 32, finished the season with a record of 10-11 and a 3.47 ERA. He definitely was better with the Cubs than with the A’s — he posted a 2.98 ERA in Chicago compared to a 4.26 ERA in Oakland. For his career, he has a 4.60 ERA, so what we saw in Oakland is likely more of the real Hammel.

He’s definitely not the Cubs’ end-all, as they need to sign one of the front-end starters on the free-agent market, whether it be Lester, Max Scherzer or James Shields. Hammel was the ninth-best starting pitcher on Jeff Passan’s Ultimate Free-Agent Tracker, ranking No. 26 overall.

In the best-case scenario for the Cubs, Hammel is no higher than their No. 4 starter behind Jake Arrieta, Kyle Hendricks and another, better free agent they add to the mix.

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Mike Oz is an editor for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz