Rockies Add Bullpen Depth, Sign Wade Davis

The Rockies added yet another arm to the bullpen on Friday when they agreed to a three-year deal with Wade Davis. How will this affect his fantasy value in 2018 and beyond?

The Colorado Rockies made the playoffs for the first time since 2009. While the Rockies didn’t make it past the Wild Card round, the team showed promise on both sides of the ball. Not happy with that success, the front office decided to beef up the bullpen.

It first started with the team bringing back Jake McGee for three years. Next was Brian Shaw joining the team on a similar deal. Those two relievers paired with the already-signed Adam Ottavino and Mike Dunn and the Rockies have four relievers that can pitch in the ninth inning.

Yet, the front office wasn’t done yet. The team signed former Royals and Cubs closer Wade Davis to his own three-year deal. After being a starter in four of his first five seasons, Davis transitioned to the bullpen and became a dominant closer.

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In his last two seasons with the Royals, Davis recorded 44 saves with a 1.30 ERA, 0.922 WHIP, 10.2 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9. Those numbers are the reason the Cubs traded away Jorge Soler last offseason. Unfortunately, he didn’t perform up to those standards.

In 58.2 innings, Davis posted a 2.30 ERA, 1.142 WHIP, 12.1 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9 with 32 saves. He was drafted in the ninth round in standard ESPN leagues, 88.0 ADP, as the sixth closer drafted.

Davis finished as the No. 13 reliever on the Player Rater. Not much of a dropoff but the elevated ratios and walks diminished his value.

The Rockies took a risk by signing Greg Holland last season as he was coming off Tommy John surgery. He had 41 saves with a 3.61 ERA and 1.151 WHIP. Things started great but Holland fell off a bit in the second half, 6.38 ERA, 1.333 WHIP and 13 saves.

There are some concerns with Davis in 2018. He posted a 40.5 percent ground ball rate, eight percent lower than what he posted in 2016. Davis threw his lowest average fastball velocity since moving to the bullpen at 94.3 percent.

With an elevated fly ball rate and moving to Coors Field, I would drop Davis a few spots, behind Raisel Iglesias and Sean Doolittle. He can still strike out his fair share of batters but he’s allowed good contact and a few too many baserunners last season.

Next: 2018 Sleeper: Miles Mikolas

After the news, Fantasy Pros ranks Davis as their No. 10 closer. He should reach 75 strikeouts, 3.80 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 30 saves. As a low-end RP2, Davis should be drafted in the 14th or 15th round in standard leagues.