Carlos Villanueva

[Brandon Glick]

Carlos Manuel Villanueva Paulino played professional baseball for 11 seasons, spending eight years in the NL Central with the Chicago Cubs and their biggest rivals.

Originally signed as an international free agent by the San Francisco Giants in 2002, Villanueva was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers in 2004. After getting an initial call-up in 2006, the big right-hander spent five seasons with the Brew Crew, compiling a 4.34 ERA (4.43 FIP) over 230 games (425.0 IP), 27 of which were starts. Despite his value as a jack-of-all-trades swingman — he performed every role for the Brewers' pitching staff, from starter to middle relief to fill-in closer — Milwaukee dumped him onto the Toronto Blue Jays following the 2010 season. He spent the next two years in Canada, appearing in 71 games and making 29 starts while honing his role as do-everything pitcher.

Finally hitting free agency following the 2012 season, Villanueva signed with the Cubs on a two-year, $10 million contract. He initially won the fifth starter job out of camp that spring as Jake Arrieta (acquired at the 2012 trade deadline) was dealing with shoulder stiffness. That 2013 Opening Day rotation shook out as thus:

1. Jeff Samardzija
2. Travis Wood 
3. Edwin Jackson
4. Jason Hammel
5. Carlos Villanueva

Not exactly a group of world-beaters, but each of those players contributed in some way to the 2016 core, whether they were traded for key pieces of that team or they actually won a ring with the curse-busting squad. Each of them also have write-ups currently on the Players Project, save for Jackson (who will get his own "Remember Some Cubs" article in due time).

Over two seasons with the Cubs, Villanueva would go on to make 20 starts (15 in 2013) while appearing in 69 additional games out of the bullpen, running up a 4.27 ERA (3.59 FIP) and 175 strikeouts in 206 1/3 innings. He was frequently found in trade rumors during the 2014 season, but the Cubs peculiarly held onto him through the end of his contract, even as they wrapped up that campaign with a 73-89 record, good for dead last in the NL Central.

Despite some relative success with in his tenure with the Cubs, Villanueva found a frigid winter market, eventually settling for a minor league deal with the St. Louis Cardinals deep into the offseason. Of course, the team applied some of its patented Devil Magic and turned Villanueva into the best version of himself, as the starter-reliever hybrid dominated out of the Cardinals' bullpen in 2015, posting a 2.95 ERA (3.74) FIP in 35 appearances as a set-up man. All's well that ends well, though, as the Cubs beat Villanueva and the Cardinals in the NLDS, though the right-hander did at least throw two scoreless innings in his only appearance in the series.

Villanueva wrapped up his career with the San Diego Padres (in 2016) and Hanwha Eagles of the KBO League (in 2017). He retired following his short stint in the KBO. He now serves as a Special Assistant to the General Manager/Player Development Team for the Brewers.

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