The World Series champion Chicago Cubs are close to making their first big move of the offseason.
Chicago is on the verge of acquiring closer Wade Davis in a trade with the Kansas City Royals in exchange for outfielder Jorge Soler, our Ken Rosenthal reported Tuesday night.
Davis has been dominant for the Royals the past three seasons, posting a 1.18 ERA in that span with 47 saves. In 2015, he was on the mound in the bottom of the 12th in Game 5 of the World Series when the Royals clinched the championship over the New York Mets. He was limited to 45 games in 2016 due to injury.
Soler was often the odd man out in the Cubs' crowded outfield during their 2016 run to the championship. He batted .238 with 12 home runs and 31 RBIs in 227 at-bats during the regular season but had just 13 at-bats and only two hits in the postseason.
The move casts even more doubt on the future of Aroldis Chapman in Chicago. The closer with the lightning fastball appeared in 13 postseason games for Chicago after coming to them in a midseason trade, but he told ESPN on Tuesday that he hasn't heard from the Cubs since becoming a free agent and is widely expected to sign with the Yankees.
Sources: #Cubs close to acquiring Wade Davis from #Royals for Jorge Soler.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 7, 2016
