CHC@COL: Fowler"s homer caps 9th-inning comeback
MESA, Ariz. - The Cubs made a splash on the trade market, dealing Chris Coghlan to the Oakland A"s for right-handed pitcher Aaron Brooks. The move was made to free up salary cap space for Dexter Fowler, who the Cubs signed to a one-year deal on Thursday.
Coghlan played a major role for the Cubs in each of the last two seasons, appearing in 273 games with a .265/.346/.793 slash line.
Coghlan was in the Cubs" Opening Day lineup last season, hitting fifth and playing left field.
After Kyle Schwarber came up midseason and moved to left field when Miguel Montero was healthy, Coghlan switched to the infield, playing second base and hitting third in Joe Maddon"s lineup.
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Coghlan did not play at all in the Cubs" victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the wild card game, but did appear in six games between the NLDS and NLCS, going 1-for-12 in the postseason.
Coghlan"s role for 2016 was up in the air with Schwarber penciled in for left field, Jorge Soler in right and Ben Zobrist at second base.
Brooks is a 25-year-old right-hander who has pitched in 15 games (10 starts) in the big leagues for the Kansas City Royals and A"s over the last two seasons. In those games, Brooks was 3-5 with an 8.38 ERA and 1.759 WHIP.
Brooks was a former ninth-round pick of the Royals in 2011 and sports a career 4.18 ERA in the minor leagues, where he worked mostly as a starter.
Coghlan was set to make $4.8 million in 2016 and is a free agent after the season. Freeing up that money will allow the Cubs to pay Fowler"s $8 million base salary in 2016.
Source: http://www.csnchicago.com/cubs/cubs-deal-chris-coghlan-oakland-rhp-aaron-brooks
