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Cubs Sign Koji Uehara

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After announcing the acquisition of Wade Davis from the Royals last week, the Cubs have struck again to further bolster their bullpen, announcing on Tuesday the signing of right-hander Koji Uehara to a one-year deal. Uehara, a client of ISE Baseball, will reportedly be guaranteed a total of $6MM with his new team. The Cubs had open space on their 40-man roster, which now stands at 37 players, so no corresponding 40-man move is necessary to finalize the latest addition.

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Uehara will join the Cubs after a strong four-year run at the back of Boston’s bullpen. At last check, the Red Sox looked likely to move on from Uehara — Alex Speier of WEEI.com tweeted last week that the Red Sox had made an offer, but Uehara wasn’t ready to respond, so the team acquired Tyler Thornburg instead — and Uehara now indeed lands with his fourth big league organization. The Cubs have been known to be looking for bullpen help even after their trade for Davis, and Uehara will deepen their relief corps and bring a highly experienced arm to manager Joe Maddon’s staff.

With Davis in tow, Uehara almost certainly won’t close for the Cubs, as he did for Boston in 2012-2014. But his presence provides some added peace of mind for the defending World Series champs, particularly since Davis dealt with forearm issues in 2016. Chicago now features a rather robust assortment of experienced, high-leverage righties in the pen. Both Hector Rondon and Pedro Strop — who spent much of 2016 as the team’s closer and top set-up option, respectively — remain on hand.

[Related: Updated Chicago Cubs Depth Chart]

As for Uehara, there’s a reason a pitcher of his repute was available on a modest contract. Most importantly, he’ll turn 42 near the start of the season. His fastball velocity also continued to dip in 2016, falling to an average of 86.7 MPH, generally dangerous territory for a righty. He also became incredibly fly-ball-prone, with a minuscule 21.4 GB%, and coughed up 1.53 homers per nine innings. Also, Uehara missed time in 2016 due to a pectoral injury, interrupting what had been a strong run of durability.

Still, Uehara remained very effective last season, posting a 3.45 ERA, 12.1 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 over 47 innings. If the contract does turn out to be for $4.5MM, the Cubs’ risk is minimal, particularly for a pitcher who hasn’t yet had a bad season in eight years since arriving from Japan. For his U.S. career, Uehara has a terrific 2.53 ERA, 10.7 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9 over 437 2/3 innings.

Notably, too, Uehara has long dominated opposing hitters on both sides of the plate. While lefty hitters have been ever so slightly better in terms of strikeouts and walks when facing Uehara, they have produced less offensive than have righties. Since the ace reliever landed in the majors, 863 southpaw swingers have combined to hit an anemic .181/.220/.335 against him.

Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald first tweeted the connection between Uehara and the Red Sox. Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports tweeted that a deal was done. ESPNChicago.com’s Jesse Rogers reported the salary details (via Twitter).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Cubs Interested In Tyson Ross

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  • Morosi also tweets that the Astros have had some talks with the Tigers regarding left-handed reliever Justin Wilson. Houston joins the Cubs as the most recent team to be linked to Wilson, who pitched to a 4.14 ERA in his first season with Detroit but also recorded career-bests in K/9, BB/9 and ground-ball rate. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz pegs him for a reasonable $2.7MM next year, and Wilson will be controllable through the 2018 season via the arbitration process.
  • Speaking of the Cubs, they’re maintaining some interest in right-hander Tyson Ross, reports Bruce Levine of CBS Chicago/670 The Score. Ross was non-tendered by the Padres after undergoing surgery to alleviate thoracic outlet syndrome in October, and while he could well be ready to pitch early in the 2017 campaign, the Padres clearly weren’t comfortable with a projected salary between $9-10MM. Levine spoke to one NL exec who expected Ross to receive an incentive-laden contract that allows Ross to earn nearly as much as he otherwise would have through arbitration with the Padres. The Cubs, according to Levine, have had interest in Ross since the summer of 2015, when they tried to broker a deal that would’ve sent Starlin Castro to the Padres in return. According to Levine, the Rangers are also interested in swinging a deal with Ross now that he’s a free agent, though it’s easy to imagine a wide number of teams showing interest in a short-term commitment to a player with Ross’ upside. The 29-year-old turned in a 3.07 ERA with 9.2 K/9 against 3.5 BB/9 and a strong ground-ball rate in 516 2/3 innings with the Padres from 2013-15.

Tigers, Cubs Have Discussed Justin Wilson

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  • The Tigers and Cubs have been in contact about left-handed reliever Justin Wilson, tweets Morosi, although he notes that it’s unclear whether there’s any momentum. Detroit acquired Wilson last winter in a trade that sent Chad Green and Luis Cessa to the Yankees, and while Wilson didn’t have the year the Tigers likely envisioned (4.14 ERA in 58 2/3 innings), there were plenty of positive indicators in the 29-year-old’s results. Wilson turned in a career-best 10.0 K/9 and career-low 2.6 BB/9 in his 58 2/3 frames out of the Detroit ’pen, and he also notched a career-high 54.9 percent ground-ball rate.

Cubs Still Interested In Tyson Ross

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  • The Cubs took care of their bullpen during the Winter Meetings, but are still eyeing free-agent starter Tyson Ross, according to Patrick Mooney of CSNChicago.com. At this point, it’s not even clear precisely when Ross will sign, but it’s interesting to note that the defending World Series champs seem to have more than a passing interest in the veteran righty, who is working back from thoracic outlet surgery. President of baseball operations Theo Epstein spoke generally of the idea of signing injured starters, noting that there’s demand for “really talented pitchers” even if they have recently been hurt. “We’ll stay engaged on some of those guys,” he said, “but they’ll have to be just the right talent.”

Jake Arrieta, Cubs To Discuss Extension Next Month

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Jake Arrieta’s agent, Scott Boras, says he will discuss an extension with the Cubs next month when the two sides exchange arbitration figures, ESPN’s Jesse Rogers tweets. There have been rumblings of extension talk for over a year between Arrieta and the Cubs, but the two sides haven’t reached a deal, and reportedly hadn’t come close to one as of last April.

After his brilliant Cy Young season in 2015, the 30-year-old Arrieta was modestly — but only modestly — disappointing in 2016, posting a 3.10 ERA, 8.7 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 over 197 1/3 innings. He’s had three straight strong seasons in Chicago, though, and still appears likely to cash in if he waits until he’s eligible for free agency at the end of next season. He’s currently set to make a projected $16.8MM next season through the arbitration process.

There’s ample precedent for extensions for star pitchers with five-plus years of service time — Boras negotiated a $175MM deal for Stephen Strasburg last May, and he would probably aim in that direction for Arrieta, who has had more recent success than Strasburg but is also two years older than Strasburg was at the time of his deal. Clayton Kershaw, Cole Hamels and Homer Bailey have also signed nine-figure deals with five-plus years of service time.

Brewers Trade Caleb Smith To Cubs

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The Brewers have traded Rule 5 Draft pick and left-handed pitcher Caleb Smith to the Cubs, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel writes (Twitter links). The Brewers will receive a player to be named or cash.

The Brewers had selected the 25-year-old Smith out of the Yankees system. He pitched 63 2/3 innings for Double-A Trenton in 2016, making seven starts and 20 relief appearances, and posted a 3.96 ERA, 9.9 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9. The Yankees selected him in the 14th round of the 2013 draft. He seems unlikely to stick on a stacked Cubs roster, but the Cubs had been looking for left-handed relief help.

Latest On The Cubs’ Bullpen

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The Cubs have already added Wade Davis and Brian Duensing to their bullpen, but they’re still trying to add depth, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times writes. Ideally, they’d like to add another lefty, and they’ve been in touch with Travis Wood about returning.

But Wood’s agent, Darek Braunecker, says his client has attracted interest from seven NL teams, as ESPN’s Jesse Rogers noted today. Those clubs value Wood’s versatility and hitting ability (Wood has a career .182/.208/.314 line, strong for a pitcher), and Wood would also like another shot at starting, a chance he’s unlikely to get with the Cubs. So a return to Chicago is far from a certainty.

Another possibility for a left-handed addition to the Cubs’ bullpen is Jerry Blevins, who posted a 2.79 ERA, 11.1 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 42 innings in a specialist role for the Mets last season, Wittenmyer writes. And the Cubs remain interested in righty Greg Holland, the former Royals closer who’s returning from Tommy John surgery and should be fully healthy for Spring Training. The team could also consider adding a bullpen piece in tomorrow’s Rule 5 Draft.

In the meantime, the Cubs’ addition of Davis will bump Hector Rondon back into a setup role, even though Rondon has had success as a closer in parts of each of the last three seasons. Manager Joe Maddon, though, says Rondon understands the move.

“He understands Wade being there,” says Maddon. “He was great. I told him how much I respect him. And he’s all about the team. It’s just one of those things.”

Cubs, Royals Both Win In Davis/Soler Trade, Law Writes

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Last night’s deal between the Cubs and Royals was something like a win-win, ESPN’s Keith Law writes (Insider only). Acquiring Wade Davis helps the Cubs dodge the very costly free agent closer market while adding a reliever who’s been dominant the past three seasons. The Cubs had no playing time for Jorge Soler, and it’s possible the Royals would have gotten more for Davis had it not been for Davis’ recent injury issues. Still, Law writes, Soler is a good get for the Royals, who will receive a regular who’s controllable for the next four seasons. Soler’s bat speed and exit velocity suggest he has plenty of offensive upside as well. Here are more quick notes from the Central divisions.

Dayton Moore, Jed Hoyer Discuss Davis-Soler Swap

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General managers Dayton Moore of the Royals and Jed Hoyer of the Cubs discussed today’s trade that sends closer Wade Davis to Chicago in exchange for young outfielder Jorge Soler. (Find all the details and analysis of that swap right here.)

For the Royals, it was obviously a difficult decision to part with a player who had been a key cog of the organization’s 2015 World Series-winning roster. But it doesn’t mean that the club is packing it in this year, per Moore, who acknowledged the importance of getting a major league asset in a deal involving Davis.

“We think it’s important to try to accomplish both [winning and looking to the future],” said Moore. “We want to win consistently,” he continued, “and Jorge certainly gives us a better opportunity to do that.”

In Soler, it seems, the Royals believe they have a player who’s ready to make good on his evident physical talent. Moore emphasized the importance of adding a controllable, already-developed power bat to this franchise. And he suggested that he sees Soler as capable of playing a roughly average right field.

The new collective bargaining agreement changes some of the math when it comes to dealing pending free agents, because it reduces and complicates the potential draft compensation that can be recouped. But that apparently wasn’t much of a factor here. The new rules “didn’t change our thinking,” said Moore, who indicated that the deal would likely have gone through regardless.

On the Cubs’ side, the reasoning was all the more clear. Like Kansas City a year ago, the challenge is to repeat an immensely successful campaign that ended with a championship. With closer Aroldis Chapman leaving, even with former closer Hector Rondon around, that meant adding another late-inning power arm.

In this case, the addition of Davis shouldn’t be read to reflect upon the team’s other pen arms, per Hoyer. He noted that the Royals’ own experience shows how the added stress of a lengthy postseason run can run down a staff in the season that follows. The hope is that by adding an “extra weapon,” says Hoyer, it’ll “take a little bit of burden off all of [the rest of the pitchers].”

Notably, Davis missed time with a flexor tendon issue that raised red flags. Particularly with just one year left on his contract, the time to get value for the Cubs is right now. Hoyer noted that the team wouldn’t have felt comfortable parting with Soler — and his years of cheap control — were it not for the fact that the Cubs “felt really good” about Davis’s arm health. Chicago’s trainer conducted an in-person physical today. In conjunction with all the other medical information that changed hands, the Cubs obviously feel confident that Davis is ready for a full 2017 season.

Royals, Cubs Swap Wade Davis For Jorge Soler

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The Royals have traded closer Wade Davis to the Cubs in exchange for young outfielder Jorge Soler, tweets Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com. Reports of these talks first surfaced last night, with Yahoo’s Jeff Passan, ESPN’s Jayson Stark, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale and FOX’s Ken Rosenthal all shedding light on the situation.

[Related: Updated Kansas City Royals Depth Chart and Chicago Cubs Depth Chart]

Wade Davis

Davis, 31, originally came to the Royals from the Rays in the 2012 James Shields/Wil Myers/Jake Odorizzi blockbuster. After struggling as a starter with both Tampa Bay and Kansas City, Davis moved to the bullpen and almost instantly broke out as one baseball’s most dominant relief weapons. Over the past three seasons, Davis has pitched to a comically low 1.18 ERA in 182 2/3 innings while averaging 11.5 K/9 against 2.5 BB/9. He’s also been utterly dominant in 25 postseason innings, yielding just one earned run and posting a 38-to-5 K/BB ratio.

Davis isn’t without his red flags, though. He hit the disabled list twice this past season due to forearm and flexor strains and saw his average fastball dip from 95.7 mph to 94.9 mph. He also posted his lowest strikeout rate and highest walk rate since moving to the bullpen. But, Davis did come back strong from his final DL stint, pitching 9 2/3 innings in September and allowing three runs while posting a 15-to-1 K/BB ratio. Furthermore, ESPNs Jerry Crasnick tweeted this morning that the Cubs were being very thorough with Davis’ medical records in order to ascertain that they were willing to take him on. Davis is earning $10MM next year and will become a free agent next winter, so this is a one-year pickup for the Cubs, barring some form of extension.

The Cubs at one point seemed like a strong match for one of the market’s top free agent closers, but GM Jed Hoyer downplayed that notion early in the offseason, and there’s been little to no evidence that the Cubs pursued any of Aroldis Chapman, Kenley Jansen or Mark Melancon before making today’s trade. The swap reunites Davis with former Rays manager Joe Maddon and likely pushes Hector Rondon from the ninth inning back down to a setup role.

In Soler, Chicago is trading away a player with four years of team control remaining. While normally selling that type of control for a one-year asset would be difficult, the Cubs possess significant outfield depth and would’ve struggled to find Soler any form of regular role, as their roster already includes Ben Zobrist, Albert Almora, Kyle Schwarber, Jason Heyward, Jon Jay and Matt Szczur.

Jorge Soler

In Kansas City, however, Soler may very well slot into an everyday role in right field. The Royals currently have a Jarrod Dyson/Paulo Orlando platoon in right field, but Dyson is a free agent next winter and is has reportedly been discussed with other clubs seeking outfield help. Dyson and Davis are just two of many players that helped to comprise a Kansas City core that is now slated to hit free agency together next winter. In addition to that pair, the Royals have Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Lorenzo Cain and Alcides Escobar all slated to hit the open market next year, so the acquisition of Soler could be one of many moves made with an eye toward acquiring more controllable talent.

The 2017 campaign will mark the fourth season in which Soler has seen time in the Majors, but he’s still just 24 years of age. An extremely high-profile international prospect, Soler signed a nine-year, $30MM contract with the Cubs out of Cuba prior to the 2012 season when he was just 20 years old. Soler’s powerful right-handed swing, offensive upside and plus arm made him a mainstay on Top 100 prospect lists throughout the industry. He looked every bit like the future star he was billed to be when the Cubs promoted him late in the 2014 season, as he went on to hit .292/.330/.573 with five homers in 97 plate appearances across 24 games.

Soler, though, has batted a more pedestrian .253/.328/.413 in 187 games/668 plate appearances since that brilliant debut, and he’s battled injuries as well. Soler has landed on the disabled list three times in the past two years due to a hamstring strain, an oblique strain and an ankle sprain. While none of those injuries is necessarily concerning in isolation, durability has long been a concern for Soler. He’d never played more than 62 games in a minor league season before his 2014 promotion to the Majors, and his hamstring issues date back to his minor league days.

Nonetheless, Soler gives the Royals some much-needed controllable talent and is still young enough to become a fixture in the middle of their lineup for the foreseeable future if he’s able to conquer his injury woes and tap into his potential.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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