CUB TEAM NEARING TEA DEAL TO SEND DEA SOLER TO ROYALS SOL
Cubs close to dealing Soler to K. C. for Davis; Maddon defends moves
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — As the Cubs closed in Tuesday night on a trade that would send outfielder Jorge Soler to the Royals for closer Wade Davis, manager Joe Maddon reminded everyone why the Cubs need to stock up on as many strong arms as they can get.
Those early hooks? The way he rode Aroldis Chapman in the playoffs — in particular how he used him in Games 6 and 7 of the World Series? All the scripted machinations of Game 7 that looked like they were about to cost the Cubs a game they led from the start before they rallied to win in the 10th?
“The only reality I know is that we won,” Maddon said.
And nothing that happened during multiple comebacks by the Indians, as Maddon stuck firmly to his pregame script, is about to make him rethink how he puts together a game plan or navigates midgame going forward.
“No,” he said, “because I thought the script was really good. Jonny [ Lester] came in the game and gave up a dribbler, and then a wild pitch. If you had done something differently, would it have turned out better? But better than winning, I don’t know what that is.”
Whether that smacks of outcome bias from the man who often chides such thinking, one thing is clear as the Cubs try to become the first team to repeat since the 19982000 Yankees:
They’d better make sure not to suck as they bolster their bullpen. Sources said the Cubs and Royals had a Soler- for- Davis deal on the table as the Cubs looked hard at the medicals on the right- hander who spent two stretches on the disabled list with forearm problems last season.
After returning in early September, Davis finished the season with seven consecutive scoreless outings, striking out nine. He converted 27 of 30 save chances overall. Davis has ERAs of 1.00, 0.94 and 1.87 the last three years.
If the Cubs sign off on the medicals, the deal could get done Wednesday morning, barring a third team coming in with a stronger bid at the last minute. The Nationals also were said to be making a late push for Davis, who has one year left on his contract at $ 10 million.
The Cubs also have been heavily involved with Davis’ predecessor as Royals closer, hard- throwing righthander Greg Holland, a free agent expected to be at full strength by spring training after rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.
They also continue to monitor the high- priced end of the market ( Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen) and are exploring shorter- term, veteran free- agent possibilities, such as lefty Jerry Blevins and righty Brad Ziegler.
The more the better, especially with a manager who has shown a quick hook with some of his starters and who insists he still likes his bullpen scripts.
For example, in Game 7 last month, Maddon said his plan was to use starter Kyle Hendricks, then Lester and then Chapman to get through nine innings. Even though he used Chapman the night before in the seventh to hold a five- run lead and left him in for a batter in the ninth with a seven- run lead. And even though using Lester meant a full battery switch involving Lester’s personal catcher, David Ross.
He defended making the battery switch with two outs in the fifth inning of a 5- 1 game after a settled- in Hendricks issued awalk with Jason Kipnis on deck. He defended riding Chapman as hard as he did, having talked to the big left- hander before the playoffs and before the game.
Ultimately, he landed in the same place as his front- office bosses did when they defended his moves last month: The Cubs won.