The Chicago Cubs have reloaded their bullpen by acquiring closer Wade Davis from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for outfielder Jorge Soler, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
Davis, 31, has quickly become one of the league’s top right-handers out of the bullpen since making the permanent switch to relieving in 2014. In the three years since, Davis owns a 19-4 record with a 1.18 ERA over 185 appearances. He’s also struck out 11.5 batters per nine innings over that span, though that number dropped to 9.8 in 2016.
Entering the final year of his contract, Davis is scheduled to earn $10 million in 2017 and should immediately help to fill the void left by Aroldis Chapman during the Cubs’ World Series run.
Soler, 24, ascended through the Cubs’ minor-league system as a highly-rated prospect after signing as an amateur international free agent in 2012. Following the 2014 season, Baseball America ranked Soler as the No. 12 prospect in all of baseball. The Cuban has appeared in 211 MLB games since debuting in 2014 and holds a career batting average of .258 with a .762 OPS.