Trade winds bring changes in Windy City baseball landscape

By Mel Antonen

Nationals Orioles

December 07, 2016, 1:06pm

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The Cubs will defend their World Series title with a new closer next season.

Instead of investing millions long-term for lefty free agent closer Aroldis Chapman and his 100 mph fastball, the Cubs acquired closer Wade Davis, a two-time All-Star, from the Royals for outfielder Jorge Soler on the third day of the winter meetings.

Chapman and Kenley Jansen are the two free agent closers left on the market, but the Cubs couldn't fit either into their 2017 budget.

Former Nationals closer Mark Melancon signed a $62 million contract with the Giants earlier this week. Both pitchers were asking for more than that, given they are younger and dominate with more strikeouts than Melancon.

Davis, 31, started last season with 12 consecutive scoreless appearances, but his season slowed when he went on the disabled list twice with a right forearm strain. He does, however, have a strong history.

He was setup man for the Royals before taking over for the injured Greg Holland in the closer's role. Davis has 1.18 ERA with 47 saves in 185 appearances in the last three seasons.

Cubs manager Joe Maddon is familiar with Davis because the two were together in Tampa Bay for four seasons before the Rays traded Davis, along with starter James Shields, to Kansas City in a three-team deal that brought Wil Myers to the Rays.

Maddon said that bullpens are never stable, that they are always being constructed.

"Every organization, after this past postseason, is looking to reinvent their bullpen based on how we used ours,'' Maddon said.

Davis will be in a Cubs bullpen that includes right-handers Pedro Strop, Carl Edwards, Justin Grimm and lefty Mike Montgomery.

The Cubs started last season with closer Hector Rondon, but he battled injuries and was never the same. So the Cubs traded prospects to the New York Yankees for Aroldis Chapman.

Soler was a top-notch prospect for the Cubs, but their outfield is deep and Soler never lived up to expectations, partly because of injuries.

The Cubs already have Ben Zobrist, Kyle Schwarber, Jon Jay, Albert Almora Jr. and Jason Heyward in their outfield.

While the Cubs were building, Chicago's other team, the White Sox, were rebuilding.

The White Sox on Tuesday traded ace pitcher Chris Sale to the Boston Red Sox for prospects, and on Wednesday, they sent outfielder Adam Eaton to the Nationals for three pitchers, Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez and Dane Dunning.

"We view all three of these guys as front-end of the rotation pitchers for an extended period of time,'' White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said.

But the rebuild takes patience.

"This is going to be an extended process,'' Hahn said. "It's going to take some time.''

The White Sox also got two pitchers, Michael Kopech and Victor Diaz, from the Red Sox. Kopech is guy with a 100-mph fastball.

The White Sox expect Giolito and Lopez to start at Triple-A next season and Hahn said that because of their youth, they have some polish.

"But we are very excited to have them,'' he said.