Cubs claim lefthander Drake Britton off waivers from the Boston Red Sox

CHICAGO - The Chicago Cubs today claimed left-handed pitcher Drake Britton off waivers from the Boston Red Sox. To make room for Britton on the 40-man roster, right-handed pitcher Gonzalez Germen was designated for assignment.

Britton, 25, is 1-1 with a 2.93 ERA (9 ER/27.2 IP) in 25 major league relief appearances with the Red Sox covering the last two seasons (2013-14). He has struck out 21 and walked only nine batters in his 27.2 innings. Britton has limited all opponents to a .675 OPS in his 25 outings, and has allowed just a .238 batting average against and a .643 OPS to left-handed hitters. He went 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA (9 ER/21.0 IP) in 18 outings with the Red Sox in 2013 and did not allow a run in 6.2 innings pitched, covering seven appearances, last year in the majors.

The 6-foot-2, 215-pound Britton was originally selected by the Red Sox in the 23rd round of the 2007 Draft out of Tomball High School in Texas. In addition to his time in the big leagues last year, Britton went 2-3 with five saves and a 5.86 ERA (38 ER/58.1 IP) in 45 relief outings with Triple-A Pawtucket.

Germen was claimed off waivers from the Texas Rangers on January 23. Previously this offseason, Germen had been designated for assignment by the New York Mets on December 15 and traded to the New York Yankees on December 19. He was then designated for assignment on January 13 and traded to the Texas Rangers on January 20 before joining the Cubs.