With fellow lefty reliever Will Ohman gone in a trade, the Cubs decided to keep Neal Cotts on the roster. The Cubs and Cotts agreed on a one-year contract to avoid arbitration, reports MLB.com. The AP says the deal is worth $800K, $25K less than he made in 2007.

Cotts struggled in five appearances in mid-to-late May, allowing 9 runs in 6 innings, resulting in his demotion to Iowa, as he had options remaining when the Cubs decided to recall Sean Marshall. In 50 innings for Iowa, Cotts had a 4.83 ERA, as he walked too many batters (30), but most of those difficulties occurred while he was in Iowa's starting rotation. After returning to the bullpen, Cotts had a 2.67 ERA in 27 innings over 18 games, though he still walked too many (15).