The Cubs made things official Wednesday, announcing a one-year deal for veteran reliever Koji Uehara.
Uehara has spent the past eight seasons as a major league reliever, posting a 2.53 ERA in 437 2/3 career innings. After splitting four seasons between the Baltimore Orioles and Texas Rangers, he was a key piece of the puzzle for the Boston Red Sox for the past four years.
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Uehara turned in a sensational 2013 campaign during the Red Sox run to a World Series championship. The righty put up a sparkling 1.09 ERA in 74 1/3 innings that season, finishing seventh in American League Cy Young voting and 19th in AL MVP voting. Uehara starred in the 2013 postseason, turning in a 0.66 ERA over 13 2/3 innings and winning ALCS MVP honors. He earned the save in seven of the 17 games he pitched in during that postseason run.
Uehara was an All Star in 2014. He posted ERAs of 2.52 and 2.23 in 2014 and 2015, respectively.
His ERA jumped up to 3.45 last season, his fourth with the Red Sox, but Uehara brings veteran experience and postseason experience to a Cubs bullpen that has already added All-Star closer Wade Davis this offseason.