Fansided

Chicago Cubs reach one-year deal with pitcher Koji Uehara

By Paul Ward

October 6, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Koji Uehara (19) throws in the eighth inning against the Cleveland Indians during game one of the 2016 ALDS playoff baseball game at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
October 6, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Koji Uehara (19) throws in the eighth inning against the Cleveland Indians during game one of the 2016 ALDS playoff baseball game at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Chicago Cubs announced today that they have signed RHP Koji Uehara of the Boston Red Sox.

The Chicago Cubs may not see much room for improvement after winning the 2016 World Series. That won’t keep Theo Epstein from his typical tinkering. The Cubs have made several moves so far and there’s no reason to believe that they are close to being done.

Today, the Cubs added another piece, signing relief pitcher Koji Uehara to a one-year deal worth $6 million. The team apparently threw in some plane tickets to Japan to sweeten the deal.

Theo is known for his low risk, high reward acquisitions. Jake Arrieta is a perfect example of that. Epstein is also extremely confident in Chris Bosio’s ability to get the most out of any pitchers put on his staff.

Uehara may be a perfect fit for Epstein’s plan. At 41 years old, Uehara isn’t worth signing to a long term deal, but he’s able to put together a solid season, having pitched in Major League Baseball for eight seasons with a carer 2.53 ERA. What also caught the Cubs’ eye was his playoff experience. He’s pitched in the World series and was the 2013 American League Championship Series MVP.

Experience needed

Adding experience to the bullpen is even more important with Travis Wood looking at deals from other teams. The bullpen has some great talent in pitchers like Carl Edwards Jr. but will still need the type of experience that a pitcher like Wood brought last season.

Uehara may also give Joe Maddon some good matchups to play with, as he might play the pitching matchup game more than any other manager in baseball. Uehara is a righty who is unusually good against lefties. Left-handed batters were only able to post a batting average of .139 against him last season. This gives one more trick for Joe to keep up his extremely creative sleeve.

Related Story: What other relievers would make sense for the Cubs?

The Chicago Cubs are well on their way to filling in the minor holes left by last season and well on their way to fighting for another World Series Championship in 2017.

Home/Chicago Cubs