Reliever Wade Davis will be pitching in the Windy City next season thanks to a trade between the Chicago Cubs and the Kansas City Royals. In exchange for Davis, the World Series champion Cubs will be shipping outfielder Jorge Soler to the Royals, according to multiple reports.
Wade Davis traded to Cubs, Jorge Soler headed to Royals
Chicago bolsters its bullpen at the cost of a talented 24-year-old right fielder.
Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
The news, which was first reported by Jeff Passan and confirmed by Jeffrey Flanagan, built throughout Tuesday night as rumors began flying that the Cubs were interested in Davis. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale said the teams were reviewing physicals on Tuesday night.
Davis has a combined 1.18 ERA over the past three seasons, though he has made trips to the disabled list due to some issues with his pitching arm. The 31-year-old threw just 43 1/3 innings throughout the 2016 season. He is slated to make $10 million in 2017 and will be eligible for free agency after that.
The Cubs’ closer throughout much of 2016 was Aroldis Chapman, who joined the team via trade in late July. He became a free agent this offseason and reportedly has not been contacted by the Chicago club.
Soler, a 24-year-old Cuban outfielder, hit for .238 with 12 home runs over the 86 games in which he made appearances for the Cubs last season. He also spent some time on the injury list in 2016, which resulted in him falling behind other players in the outfield rotation by the time Chicago made its championship run.
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