Cubs add Smith, close in on Uehara

The Cubs added to their pitching depth Thursday by acquiring left-handed reliever Caleb Smith from the Milwaukee Brewers for cash considerations. The Brewers had obtained Smith from the New York Yankees in the Rule 5 draft.

The team's continued efforts to beef up its bullpen don't appear to be ending. One day after they obtained closer Wade Davis from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for outfielder Jorge Soler, the Cubs may be setting their sights on veteran right-hander Koji Uehara, who has 93 saves in a major-league career that began in 2009. Uehara has pitched for Baltimore, Texas and Boston.

This past season with the Red Sox, Uehara was 2-3 with a 3.45 ERA and 7 saves and a WHIP of 0.96. For his career, the 41-year-old Uehara is 19-22 with a 2.53 ERA and a solid WHIP of 0.86. Even though Uehara is a righty, the Cubs like his numbers against left-handed batters, who have hit only .183 against him. Right-handers have batted .208 against Uehara.

The Boston Herald first reported that a deal with Uehara is near. Nothing will become official until Uehara passes a physical.

In addition to Davis, the Cubs also recently signed left-handed reliever Brian Duensing, who could replace lefty Travis Wood if Wood leaves via free agency.

Rule 5 pick Smith, 25, is 24-23 with 3 saves and a 3.40 ERA in 94 games, including 69 starts, since being drafted in the 14th round of the 2013 draft by the Yankees. He has limited opponents to a .236 average in his career, allowing just 18 homers in 367⅔ innings.

The 6-foot-2, 205-pound lefty spent the entire 2016 campaign with Class AA Trenton, posting a 3.96 ERA and 3 saves in 27 appearances, all but 7 as a reliever. He struck out 70 while issuing just 20 walks. In parts of three seasons at the Double-A Level, he has gone 13-12 with a 3.55 ERA in 53 games, including 32 starts. Smith reached the Triple-A level in 2015, making 1 appearance with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

In the minor-league portion of the Rule 5 draft, the Cubs selected infielder Kevin Cornelius from the Yankees.

Cornelius, 24, batted .299 (59-for-197) with 13 homers and 48 RBI in 56 games between Rookie League Pulaski and Class A Tampa in 2016.

The Cubs lost two players in the Rule 5 draft: Right-handed pitcher Armando Rivero was selected by the Atlanta Braves, and infielder Daniel Lockhart was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks.