In a relatively surprising move, the Chicago Cubs have designated first baseman Bryan LaHair.  LaHair was an All-Star in 2012, but he had a rough second half of the season.  With Anthony Rizzo's promotion to the big leagues, the team had to shift LaHair to the bench with occasional outfield duties.  Now they are likely going to release him.

LaHair is trying to go play in Japan and the Cubs plan to help him says Toni Ginetti of the Chicago Sun-Times.  The team has ten days to trade, release, or outright LaHair.  He will be released if he is going to play in Japan.


LaHair hit .259/.334/.450 with 16 home runs in total last season.  He had a decent year after starting out red hot.  However, it's hard to maintain the level of success he had early on when coming off the bench.  In total, LaHair played in 130 games for the Cubs last season.

Chicago will now focus on the future.  They will continue to make moves as they shore up their 40-man roster, but it's clear that Rizzo is the fixture at first base.  LaHair was a placeholder of sorts while Rizzo got his seasoning in Triple-A.  Now, Rizzo is ready to play full time and is expected to have the job going forward.
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