Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Cubs News: Maddon on Wade Davis: "I'm really excited"


by - Senior Editor -

The Cubs traded away young outfielder Jorge Soler for veteran closer Wade Davis during the Winter Meetings and manager Joe Manager is excited about his closer.

"It's not just about throwing one pitch and trying to blow people away," Maddon said of Davis. "He's got a great slider, a cutter that he came up with, and I love his curveball, and he knows how to compete on both sides of the plate."

In 2016, Davis was impressive with 1.87 ERA with 27 saves, 47 strikeouts, and 1.13 WHIP. He was 10th in the A.L. in saves last season.

"Having [Davis] at the end of our bullpen will make it very stern once again," Maddon said. "He's well. He's well -- there's no concerns going into the season. I'm really excited. I've had a great relationship with him and he's going to make us a really good bullpen again this year."

He will be a free agent after this upcoming season and will make 10 million in 2017. After the 2017 season, look for C.J. Edwards to take over as a possible candidate for the Cubs as their new closer.

For his career, Davis has a 3.53 ERA with 47 saves, 689 strikeouts, and 1.28 WHIP. He has made back-to-back All-Star games after being converted to a closer. He actually would fit in well with the Cubs as he played for Cubs manager Joe Maddon from 2009-2012 in Tampa Bay.

Wade Davis is the only pitcher in MLB history to have multiple seasons with at least 50 IP and an ERA of 1.00 or lower (2014 and 2015) according to ESPN stats and info. Another impressive stat is that he has given up only three homers in over 182 innings in his last three seasons.

He was drafted by Tampa Bay in the 3rd round in the 2004 MLB Draft.

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