NEWSLETTER
The Chicago Cubs’ front office suggested they weren’t done adding to the bullpen even after making a trade for stud closer Wade Davis, and, with all appropriate respect to new lefty Caleb Smith, the Rule 5 Draft probably wasn’t going to be the only route for another addition.
And so it is that the Cubs are close to a one-year deal with 41-year-old righty Koji Uehara, and I’m told it’ll be in the $6 million range. Which is an excellent get for the Cubs.
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Other reports also indicate that the signing is close.
Don’t let the age fool you, as Uehara has been consistently excellent going on seven straight seasons. Last year looks like a blip in the ERA and FIP department (it was the first time either figure had been above 3.09 since 2009/10), driven entirely by a flukey HR/FB ratio. His strikeout rate was actually up to a whopping 34.2% last year, and his walk rate was a tiny 6.0%.
Uehara has a reverse split for his career, and has been especially brutal on lefties the last two years (.218 wOBA against in 2015, .211 in 2016).
We’ll go for a deeper dive when things are buttoned up on the deal, but, for now, it looks like the Cubs will make a very sound addition to a bullpen that suddenly, once again, looks deep and strong.
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