Dec. 24--The Cubs officially signed veteran catcher David Ross Tuesday to a two-year, $5 million deal.
The 37-year-old veteran will likely become the personal catcher for Jon Lester, his former batterymate in Boston, making incumbent Welington Castillo expendable.
Ross has thrown out 35.1 percent of base-runners attempting to steal over the last seven seasons, fourth best among major league catchers. He's a career .233 hitter with a .753 OPS in 744 games, and his offensive output has been limited the last two seasons, when he batted .216 and .184, respectively, for the Red Sox.
The Cubs like his leadership abilities and believe Ross can help tutor future catcher Kyle Schwarber, their first-round pick in 2014.
psullivan@tribpub.com
