Chicago Cubs sign former Red Sox closer Koji Uehara to one-year deal

So far, it has been an eventful offseason for the World Series Chicago Cubs who added another piece to their bullpen. While one closer left to a former team, the Cubs acquired another via trade.

Right now, Chicago Cubs’ President Theo Epstein is working hard. And the funny thing is, he’s far from done when it comes to making moves. The man behind the blueprint that brought this team a championship is doing what he does best.

Yes, the Cubs’ bullpen looked a little deflated when the postseason wrapped. Knowing that Aroldis Chapman was on his way back to the Yankees and Travis Wood testing the market was a bit of a blow.

However, since then, the Cubs have picked up Wade Davis. A man who they checked in on back in July but they wanted Kyle Schwarber. That deal was not happening.

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This is where Chapman enters the picture. Two top prospects in Gleyber Torres and Billy McKinney gave Chicago the closer they needed. Too bad it was only for a few months.

With a gap in the depth chart, Epstein and Hoyer went to work. Shortly after completing the trade with the Royals, both men contacted a former employer for yet another trade.

Epstein and Hoyer have been known to dip into their Boston Red Sox roots from time-to-time. Anthony Rizzo, Shane Victorino, David Ross, John Lackey, and Jon Lester are just a few names on the list.

New Face In Town

Now according to Bob Nightengale via Twitter, the Cubs have signed former Red Sox closer Koji Uehara to a one-year deal. That deal is worth $4.5 million which isn’t all that bad for a right-hander who is 41-years-old.

Also, he’ll turn 42 a day after Opening Day.

Back in 2013, Uehara played a huge part in the Boston Red Sox winning the World Series. At one point, he was one of the most dominant relievers in the game. During that 2013 title run, he ended the year with an impressive 1.09 ERA while posting a 101/9 K/BB ratio.

Not to mention he recorded 21 saves in 24 opportunities. Another interesting fact is that David Ross was behind the dish when he struck out Matt Carpenter to end the 2013 series. Both men hugged.

Since then, his numbers have been somewhat consistent. Despite having a 3.45 ERA in 2016, he was still able to get the job done when asked to close games.

Next: Trading Soler was the right move for him

While the closer role may belong to Davis for the time being, he could be used against lefties. Left-handed hitters struggled against him, hitting only .139 in 23 1/3 innings. Who had mostly lefties in their lineup?

The Los Angeles Dodgers. If these two teams match up again in the postseason, it’ll be an interesting matchup late in the game. Hopefully, Uehara can help the Chicago Cubs win another World Series title.