CHICAGO -- Carlos González used to torment Cubs fans with his steady stream of hits against the club in his days with the Rockies. Now, they hope the veteran outfielder can experience a bit of a career turnaround while suiting up for the North Siders.

The Cubs are nearing a Minor League contract with Gonzalez, MLB.com confirmed on Thursday's team off-day ahead of the weekend series against the Cardinals. Gonzalez will report to Triple-A Iowa, and there is a strong chance that he will join manager Joe Maddon's bench in the not-too-distant future.

ESPN Chicago first reported the agreement between Gonzalez and the Cubs.

The 33-year-old Gonzalez -- a three-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove Award winner -- went unsigned over the winter, but he inked a Minor League pact with the Indians on March 19. The 12-year Major League veteran reported to Triple-A Columbus and played in six games with the Clippers prior to joining Cleveland's big league roster.

By all accounts, Gonzalez was a positive presence in the clubhouse for the Tribe, but his diminished production on the field forced the team's hand, leading to his release on May 26. Cleveland wanted to go with a younger group, including 24-year-old rookie outfielder Oscar Mercado. The Indians had hoped Gonzalez would provide an impact bat against right-handed pitching, but he posted a .626 OPS against righties after having an .828 mark in '18.

The Cubs are hoping there is nowhere to go but up for Gonzalez, who hit .276 with 16 homers, 32 doubles, 71 runs, a .796 OPS and 96 wRC+ in his 10th season with the Rockies last year.

The last bench spot for Chicago currently belongs to Jim Adduci, who took over for Mark Zagunis after the Cubs optioned him to Triple-A on Saturday to get the outfielder more regular at-bats. Adding Gonzalez also provides a layer of depth as Chicago continues to monitor the offensive-approach progress by Ian Happ at Triple-A. Signing Gonzalez also comes as the Cubs are unsure when or if Ben Zobrist (on MLB's restricted list while tending to a family situation) will return this season.

In 117 plate appearances for the Indians this year, Gonzalez hit .210 with a .558 OPS. Per Statcast, his average exit velocity dropped to 86.6 mph in 2019, compared to 89.4 in '18. Gonzalez's swinging-strike rate also climbed to 17 percent (up from 14.8 percent in '18). A major issue for the veteran outfielder was hitting a surplus of grounders. His average launch angle dropped to -0.5 degrees (down from 8.9 degrees in '18) and his ground-ball rate soared to 58.3 percent (well above his career rate of 46.1 percent).

Chicago's outfield includes a versatile group of players, but the primary setup has been Kyle Schwarber in left field, Albert Almora Jr. in center and Jason Heyward in right. When Heyward fills in as the center fielder, Kris Bryant often fills in at the corner spots. On Sunday, though, Bryant and Heyward collided on a play in right-center field, forcing Bryant to miss two games against Houston. With Gonzalez in the fold, Maddon should have more flexibility to leave Bryant at third base.