Chicago Cubs to sign lefty pitcher Brett Anderson

The Chicago Cubs are expected to announce that they have signed left-handed pitcher Brett Anderson to a free-agent contract.

The deal, which is reported to be worth $3.5 million for 2017, is contingent on Anderson passing a physical exam scheduled for Tuesday. If Anderson passes the physical, an official announcement from the Cubs could come as early as Wednesday.

Anderson, who turns 29 on Feb. 1, missed most of last season with the Los Angeles Dodgers after he underwent surgery in March for a bulging disc in his back. He wound up appearing in 4 games for the Dodgers (3 starts) in 2016, going 1-2 with an 11.91 ERA.

For his career, Anderson is 38-43 with a 3.86 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP in 127 games (115 starts) for Oakland, Colorado and the Dodgers.

The Cubs are seeking to add depth to their starting rotation with spring training set to open Feb. 14 for pitchers and catchers. The top four in the rotation are Jon Lester, Jake Arrieta, Kyle Hendricks and John Lackey.

Left-hander Mike Montgomery, who made 5 starts among his 17 games for the Cubs last year after coming over in a July trade with Seattle, could battle with Anderson for the fifth starter's spot. Manager Joe Maddon used a sixth starter at times last year, so both Montgomery and Anderson could get a significant amount of starts.

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