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The Cubs avoided their last arbitration-eligible case by signing reliever Michael Wuertz to a one-year contract at $850,000, more than doubling his salary of last season, and giving general manager Jim Hendry time to work on a trade for a center fielder.

Wuertz, 29, ranked second in the National League by stranding 86.8 percent of his inherited runners in 73 appearances, trailing only teammate Carlos Marmol, who stranded 87.8 percent.

With the move of closer Ryan Dempster to the rotation, Wuertz moves up a rung on the right-handed relief ladder and will be used in the middle innings to get to late-inning specialists Marmol, Kerry Wood and Bob Howry.

He was 2-3 with a 3.48 ERA last season.