Cubs Will Have New Closer as Wade Davis Signs with Rockies
The Cubs will now assuredly have a new closer for the 2018 season after Wade Davis was officially taken off the market this morning, signing a three-year, $52 million deal with the Colorado Rockies.
Source: Closer Wade Davis and the Colorado Rockies have agreed on a three-year, $52M deal. It's the highest per-year salary ever for a reliever. The deal includes a fourth-year vesting option that could take the total to $66M. Full details at Yahoo Sports: https://t.co/dFgJr4Ur4o
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 29, 2017
While it seemed like a longshot the Cubs and Davis would reunite, there had been speculation the Cubs were still poking around in the event that his price tag fallen low enough. Davis signing with the Rockies does net the Cubs a compensatory draft pick, though, since the closer declined a $17.4 million qualifying offer.
Davis was everything the Cubs could have hoped for after being acquired last offseason from the Kansas City Royals for Jorge Soler. Many debated the merit of trading Soler for just one year of a closer with questionable health, but I think it’s safe to say the Cubs don’t win the NL Central or get through the Washington Nationals in the NLDS without Davis locking things down. He posted a 2.30 ERA with a 3.38 FIP and a 12.12 K/9 for the Cubs prior to the playoffs. He was also 32 of 33 in save situations during the 2017 regular season, not blowing a save until September 23 against the Brewers.
While Davis and the Cubs didn’t accomplish their ultimate goal of repeating as world champions in 2017, we’ll always have this strikeout of Bryce Harper to end the insane NLDS Game Five against the Nationals.
If Wade Davis is indeed headed to Colorado, a good time to enjoy his clutch strikeout of Bryce Harper to send the Cubs to NLCS. pic.twitter.com/8KfFqyQgxH
— Cubs Insider (@realcubsinsider) December 29, 2017
