Reliever Pedro Strop and the Chicago Cubs have agreed to a one-year contract worth $2,525,000 and avoided salary arbitration. The agreement was slightly above the midpoint between the $3 million he had asked for and the $2 million the Cubs had offered when the sides exchanged proposed arbitration figures last month. A 29-year-old right-hander, Strop was 2-4 with a 2.21 ERA in 65 relief appearances last year, when he struck out 71 in 61 innings and earned $1,325,000. Strop, obtained from Baltimore in July 2013, is 11-12 with a 3.41 ERA over parts of six major league seasons. More...