Unless you are a Dodger fan who closely follows the team’s minor league affiliates, you have probably never heard the name Andres Santiago before – that is, of course, unless you happened to read this morning’s article right here on ThinkBlueLA.

In that piece, TBLA’s resident minor leagues expert Harold Uhlman wrote a re-cap article detailing the Dodgers Double-A affiliate Chattanooga Lookouts’ 2014 and final season in Chattanooga. The Dodgers, as you may recall, recently signed a two-year Player Development Contract with the Tulsa Drillers to become their new Double-A affiliate – a wise move when you consider that they also just signed a Player Development Contract naming Oklahoma City as the new home for their Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers. (Tulsa is a mere 106 miles northeast of OKC).

One of the many highlights that Uhlman shared in his Lookouts article was the no-hitter thrown by Lookouts right-hander Andres Santiago on August 28, 2014 against the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate Tennessee Smokies. But for an eighth-inning walk to Smokies third baseman Christian Villanueva, Santiago was perfect. And while such a tremendous accomplishment received quite a bit of fanfare from Santiago’s teammates, Lookouts fans and the other nine teams that make up MiLB’s popular Southern League, it was quickly forgotten by all but the most loyal Dodgers minor league followers.

It was not, however, forgotten by the Chicago Cubs.

Even after tossing a no-hitter for the Chattanooga Lookouts in 2014, the Dodgers opted not to re-sign Santiago. (Photo credit – Garrett Nichols)

Late Saturday night, Tennessee Smokies Director of Media Relations Andrew Green reported (via Twitter) that the Cubs had signed (now) free agent Andres Santiago to a minor league contract. Green had learned of the signing from Baseball America’s Minor League Free Agent Tracker (a hat tip to Eric Stephen at True Blue LA).

Santiago, who was selected by the Dodgers in the 16th round of the 2007 MLB First Year Player Draft out of Colegio Carmen Sol (Bayamon, Puerto Rico), spent eight seasons in the Dodgers minor league system, having made it no higher than the Double-A level. By every indication, it appeared that the 6′-1″, 218-pound hard-throwing (now) 25-year-old right-hander probably wasn’t going to make it to the big leagues as a Dodger – especially with his 32-34, 4.65 ERA career minor league numbers, including his 6-8, 4.47 numbers in 2014. As such, it came as no surprise that the Dodgers opted not re-sign Santiago after the 2014 season, thus making him a free agent.

While Santiago will most likely begin the 2015 season with the (are you ready for this) Tennessee Smokies, the very team that he no-hit last season, with any success he could receive a promotion to the Triple-A Iowa Cubs – who just so happen to be in the American Northern Division of the Pacific Coast League… along with the Oklahoma City Dodgers.

Did I mention that professional baseball is a crazy business?