Pitt Baseball Pitcher Matt Iannazzo Signs Deal With Chicago Cubs

Matt Iannazzo had one of the best careers a Pitt pitcher ever had, but wasn't taken in the recent 2012 MLB draft. But he was picked up as a free agent for the Chicago Cubs.

Iannazzo was a three-time All-Big East pitcher and really played well during his time at Pitt:

Iannazzo’s career will go down as one of the best ever by a Pitt pitcher. He is the program’s all-time leader in career wins with his 28-12 overall record, and is also first in innings pitched (342), third in strikeouts (239), ninth in appearances (53), 10th in winning percentage (.700) and 16th in complete games (eight).

Iannazzo was the go-to pitcher for Jordano in some of the team’s biggest games the past few seasons. He started the Panthers’ opener in each of the past two conference tournaments, including a complete game win over Louisville in a 2011 postseason game.

Once Iannazzo heard from the Cubs, he says it didn't take him long to come to a deal.

Iannazzo was clearly ready to get started and didn't want to waste much time:

"It took about a minute,’’ Iannazzo said of his contract negotiations with the Chicago Cubs, which agreed to terms with the left-handed pitcher Thursday morning. "It was pretty quick."

He'll head to the Cubs' rookie team in Mesa, Arizona and presumably be playing in games later this month.

Pitt's baseball team didn't reach the heights they have in recent years, but good to see Iannazzo getting a look. Iannazzo's signing also drew a brief mention by his hometown paper.

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