Chicago Cubs: Signing of Brandon Morrow may be steal of the offseason

The Chicago Cubs can count their blessings over the past couple seasons with the likes of Aroldis Chapman and Wade Davis closing out ballgames. Now, a fresh face in Brandon Morrow steps into the role, and he could end up being a steal.

Following the 2017 Major League Baseball season, it was apparent that All-Star closer Wade Davis was not going to return to the Chicago Cubs. After back-to-back seasons of elite closing pitchers, the Cubs are moving in a more straightforward direction.

Morrow played the journeyman role for the better part of his career. He saw time with the Mariners, Blue Jays, Padres, Dodgers and, now, the Cubs. Drafted in 2006, with the fifth overall pick by the Mariners, in front of the likes of Clayton Kershaw and Max Scherzer, Morrow originally came up as a starting pitcher.

Making his Major League debut in 2008, Morrow found a decent amount of success, pitching to a 3.34 ERA in 45 games, making five starts. He languished as a starter, posting a 5.79 ERA in just 28 innings pitched. However, he held opposing hitters to just a .211 average.

By 2010, the Mariners decided to move on from Morrow, as he caught on with the Blue Jays. Fully embracing a starting role, Morrow finished 10-7 with a 4.49 ERA and posted a 3.6 WAR in the 26 games started. 2012 was one of his best years as a starter for Morrow, as he posted a 2.96 ERA in 21 starts.

The next handful of seasons saw Morrow plagued with consistent injuries. Between 2014-2017, Morrow pitched in just 81 total games of action. It included everything from finger injuries to season-ending shoulder surgery.