Cubs agree to 2-year deal with left-hander Grabow

After days of speculation, the Cubs made it official Friday: left-handed reliever John Grabow, a midseason acquisition from the Pittsburgh Pirates, is sticking around a while longer after agreeing to a two-year contract believed to be in the $7.5 million range.

"It was a no-brainer," Grabow said. "I pretty much let everyone know I wanted to come back. They made the trade to bring me here and I kind of fitted in right away. I figured that was a good situation for me."

Grabow, 31, combined to go 3-0 with a 3.36 ERA last season in a career-high 75 relief appearances with Pittsburgh and the Cubs. He had a 3.24 ERA in 30 games for the Cubs after being acquired along with left-handed pitcher Tom Gorzelanny for pitchers Jose Ascanio and Kevin Hart, and minor league infielder Josh Harrison on July 30.

His 72.1 innings of work in 2009 tied him for third-most among left-handed relievers despite suffering from bone chips the last few years.

"It's something that you learn to manage," he said. "I have the same routine I do every day before the game starts to prepare my arm to pitch that day. Thank God it hasn't been an issue the past few years. It's something that's maybe put in the past and I can pitch through."

Grabow's signing makes him one of the elder statesmen in the Cubs' bullpen as currently constituted, but as Cubs general manager Jim Hendry was quick to point out, it's only November, things can change.

"We've got good young arms, we've got good pieces," Hendry said. "Some guys could end up - like Gorzelanny - if he's not in the rotation he could go to the pen. (Sean) Marshall is not a kid anymore. Guzman's been around long enough; he's stable enough, experience-wise, to fill a lot of holes.

"It's a long way away and I certainly wouldn't discount the fact that somebody could be added to the pen throughout the off-season, too."

Whether the bullpen stays young or adds some extra veteran presence, Grabow said he is ready to continue his leadership role, a role he grew into with the young Pirates.

"You have to think of it as a family down in the bullpen; you're going to have some guys who are inexperienced and some guys with some experience under their belts," Grabow said. "I'm just going to try to help these guys to get better every day. Hopefully I can give them a little bit of advice ... be with those guys through the ups and downs of a season. You've got to be tough mentally."