courtesy of MLB.com
Xavier Nady finalized his one-year contract with the Cubs on Friday, but he still has some health hurdles to leap before Opening Day.
The Cubs' newest outfielder underwent an all-day physical exam at Chicago's Northwestern Memorial Hospital on Thursday in which doctors paid particular attention to his twice-surgically-repaired right elbow. Nady, 31, is not quite seven months removed from his second Tommy John reconstruction, and Cubs general manager Jim Hendry conceded that there remains a chance that Nady will be limited somewhat defensively at the start of the season.
That didn't stop the club from committing to a deal that, according to The Associated Press, guarantees Nady $3.3 million and has $2.05 million more available in incentives for games played.