Paul Maholm broke Paul Maholm's signing with the Cubs.
Ken Rosenthal reported earlier Monday that the Cubs and the former Pirates starter were close on a deal, but it was Maholm himself who announced to the baseball world that he would be heading to Chicago:
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paul maholmLooking forward to seeing the fans at Cubs convention this weekend and getting to know all the guys. It's gonna be fun.
Jan 10 via Twitter for iPhoneFavoriteRetweetReply
Maholm also thanked his fans in Pittsburgh and snapped a photo of an airport (Midway? O'Hare?) Harry Caray's with a countdown to opening day. As of Monday, it's at 88 days.
In six seasons and change with the Pirates, Maholm compiled a 4.22 ERA in 185 starts. While he only made 26 starts in 2011, ERA-wise the year was his best, as the 29-year-old lefty posted a 3.66 mark.
With Maholm in the fold, the Cubs now have a bevy of starters to consider for this year's rotation -- Ryan Dempster, Matt Garza, Travis Wood, Chris Volstad, Randy Wells, Casey Coleman, Jeff Samardzija, Andy Sonnanstine, Trey McNutt and Maholm. If Dempster, Wood, Volstad, Maholm and one of WellsColemanSamardzijaSonnanstineMcNutt are slated for the rotation, that leaves no room for Garza.
So maybe the Maholm signing is a precursor to a Cubs-Tigers deal involving Garza, a deal that CSN's David Kaplan is reporting is "down the road."