Chicago Cubs could be without Brandon Morrow for the rest of the season

Chicago Cubs: Front office clearly made the right call, despite injury

With Brandon Morrow now potentially done for the season, it’s easier than ever to second-guess the decision to rely on him as a closer. But we knew the risk even last offseason – but, given how the alternatives have performed this year, I’d still call it a ‘win’.

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Let’s settle on four primary names: Davis, the former Cubs closer, Suenghwan Oh, who was coming off a stellar season with the Cardinals, Bryan Shaw and Addison Reed. Of course, Cubs fans remember Shaw from the 2016 World Series. Reed, meanwhile, pitched to a 2.84 ERA between Boston and New York in 2017.

The biggest name on this list? Easily Davis, who finished a career-best 56 games and set a personal-high with 32 saves. He did all this while pitching to a 2.30 ERA and striking out north of 12 batters per nine. This season? He’s finished games off – but the peripherals are hardly what you’d call acceptable by any standard.

In 61 appearances for the Rockies, Davis carries a 4.13 FIP and 4.55 ERA. For the second consecutive season, he’s walking north of four batters and has allowing a career-worst 1.3 home runs per nine.

Maybe that’s easy to stomach if you’re in Colorado. But knowing this is year one of a three-year, $52 million deal with a mutual option for 2021 might make a difference.