Written by Rustin Dodd at Kansas City Star.com
After a day of rumors and a long night of waiting, the Royals traded closer Wade Davis to the Chicago Cubs for outfielder Jorge Soler on Wednesday morning, making official a deal that could have lasting repercussions in 2017 and beyond.
In a deal that served as a pre-emptive strike against a coming free-agent exodus — in addition to a cost-cutting measure for a team looking for payroll relief — the Royals parted ways with one of their best relievers in franchise history.
Davis was a scuffling starting pitcher in Tampa Bay who turned into a bullpen cyborg in Kansas City and delivered a mesmerizing three-year stretch. In four seasons with the Royals, Davis helped the club win two American League pennants and a World Series championship. The image of him lifting his arms into the air after the final out of Game 5 of the 2015 World Series will live on as one of the iconic moments in franchise history.
Soler, a 24-year-old from Cuba, will arrive in Kansas City in 2017 after spending parts of three seasons with Chicago. A high-ceiling talent with prodigious power potential, Soler struggled to take off in three seasons with the Cubs, battling injury and a strikeout-prone approach at the plate. He batted .258 with a .328 on-base percentage and 27 homers in 765 plate appearances across 211 games. By late 2016, he was a part-time player in a Cubs outfield that featured Dexter Fowler, Ben Zobrist and Jason Heyward.
But Soler, 6 feet 4 and 215 pounds, brings a valued pedigree and one of the most valuable assets in baseball: Time.
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