"The Cubs have reached a preliminary agreement with free agent first baseman Carlos Pena on a one-year deal with about $10 million, according to sources, and hope to finalize the deal this morning during a schedule meeting with his agent, Scott Boras.

The pending deal fills the Cubs' top off-season need and leaves a back-rotation starting pitcher and right-hander reliever on their to-do list.

Pena, 32, is a career .241 hitter who led the American League with 39 home runs in 2009 for the Tampa Bay Rays, but his batting average, on-base percentage and power numbers – with the exception of the '09 spike – have declined each of the past three seasons.

One Tampa Bay source said his highly reputed fielding skills also declined by the end of last season. But the Cubs' reports on Pena say he's still fielding at the level that earned him a 2008 Gold Glove and that he still has strong power production to match a strong clubhouse presence."