Written by Matt Snyder at CBS Sports.com
The Cubs acquired lefty reliever Justin Wilson and catcher Alex Avila from the Tigers in exchange for third baseman Jeimer Candelario and minor-league shortstop/third baseman Isaac Paredes, multiple reports indicate — including Jon Morosi of MLB.comand every Cubs beat reporter. The assumption is that the teams are waiting until Monday morning to officially announce the deal.
Wilson, 29, is in the midst of a great season for the Tigers. He took over as closer and has saved 13 games in 15 tries with a 2.68 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 55 strikeouts against 16 walks in 40 1/3 innings.
Where Wilson fits in the Cubs’ bullpen is a fun topic. Wade Davis remains the closer, but Maddon has a bevy of guys he employs in late-inning, high-leverage situations, including Carl Edwards Jr., Pedro Strop, Koji Uehara, Hector Rondon and lefty Brian Duensing. Mike Montgomery is a lefty like Duensing and Wilson, but he remains the long guy. Justin Grimm may be in trouble of being designated for assignment here, as he’s the likely guy squeezed out the presence of Wilson.
The look of the Cubs’ bullpen was already strong. The stable currently boasts a 3.34 bullpen ERA, which is good for fourth (tied with the Yankees, actually) in the majors, trailing only the Indians, Dodgers and Red Sox. Now it’s better.
Keep in mind that fellow NL contenders like the Dodgers and Nationals were reportedly also vying for Wilson, so getting him is also a victory in keeping him away from teams the Cubs are planning to face in the playoffs.
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