MLB free agency: One free agent each team should sign

Chicago Cubs: Wade Davis

The Cubs have been using stopgap measures at closer the past two seasons. Aroldis Chapman was their second-half play in 2016, but they acquired him with no real intentions of pursuing a long-term deal. This year’s closer Wade Davis was also traded for in his walk year. This time around, the Cubs cannot afford to let their ninth-inning man walk without a strong offer.

Davis has been great in his first year with the Cubs, erasing any doubt about the health of his right arm with a dominant year out of the ‘pen. His strikeout rate has recovered after a drop in 2016 and is almost as high as it was during his best season in 2014. He has blown only one save on the year.

Handing a long-term contract to a closer entering his age-32 season is not the safest of bets, but it is one the Cubs have to make in a year where there are no other fallback options waiting on the market. Brandon Kintzler is a potential option, but he is even older than Davis and has a shorter track record as an elite reliever.

Carl Edwards Jr. has been viewed at times as a potential closer-in-waiting, but his struggles in the second half cast some doubt about his readiness for the job. The Cubs may be forced to take the plunge with Davis on a four-year deal upwards of $60 million.