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The Chicago Cubs bolstered their bench Friday, agreeing to one-year deals with infielder Ramon Martinez and catcher Paul Bako.
Martinez will be paid $900,000, while Bako will earn $865,000. The Cubs also agreed to a $750,000, one-year deal with Jose Macias, acquired from the Montreal Expos earlier in the day.
The Cubs value Martinez for both his bat and his versatility. He hit .283 with three homers and 34 RBIs in 108 games for the Cubs last year, and made 73 starts at second, third and shortstop.
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He hit .303 from Aug. 2 to the end of the season, and hit .317 at Wrigley Field.
Martinez, who played his first five seasons in San Francisco, is a career .273
hitter with 23 homers and 140 RBIs.
Bako saw action behind the plate in 69 games last season. Pitchers had a 3.81 ERA when he was catching, and he threw out 11 of 38 baserunners. He hit .229 for the season, and had the best offensive game of his career April 5 at Cincinnati when he went 4-for-5 with six RBIs.
Bako has thrown out nearly 30 percent of baserunners in his six-year career, and has a .990 fielding percentage.
Macias, a switch-hitter, hit .239 with four home runs and 22 RBIs in 111 games in Montreal last year. He played six different positions, including designated hitter.
Macias is a career .255 hitter -- .254 as a left-hander and .256 as a right-hander.