Cubs bring Austin back from Japan on one-year deal

The Cubs signed first baseman Tyler Austin to a one-year contract, the club announced on Thursday. The deal is worth $1.25 million contract, a source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand.

Austin, 34, was originally selected out of high school by the Yankees in the 13th round of the 2010 Draft, and he made his Major League debut in '16. He spent two-plus seasons with New York, demonstrating some power with 17 home runs in 69 games between the Yankees and Twins in ’18.

But Austin struggled with high strikeout rates (36.9% over his four-year MLB career), and after brief stints with the Twins, Giants and Brewers from 2018-19, he continued his professional career in Japan.

Austin found instant success with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball, posting a .969 OPS with 20 home runs over 65 games in 2020. Over 1,491 NPB plate appearances from 2020-25, Austin slashed .293/.377/.568 with 85 homers.

There might be some injury concerns with Austin, who played in more than 100 games during an NPB season only twice.

So far this offseason, the Cubs have primarily addressed their pitching staff, re-signing starter Shota Imanaga and bolstering the bullpen by adding right-hander Phil Maton and left-hander Hoby Milner, as well as re-signing left-hander Caleb Thielbar.

Offensively, Chicago is seeking to make up for the potential departure of free-agent right fielder Kyle Tucker, who is considered the best hitter on the market. While he was hurt for a significant portion of the 2025 campaign, Tucker posted an .841 OPS with 22 home runs in 136 games.

As they look to solidify the lineup, the Cubs have been linked in free-agent rumors to third baseman Alex Bregman, among others -- Chicago also reportedly met with Pete Alonso before he signed with the Orioles.

While there is inherent risk in signing Austin, given that he has been injury-prone and hasn’t appeared in the Majors in six years, it seems to be a low-cost and potentially high-upside move.