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OXON HILL, Md. -- Wade Davis already had closed out a World Series. And that was part of his appeal for the Chicago Cubs.In a trade between the last two champions, the Cubs acquired the All-Star reliever from the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday for outfielder Jorge Soler. Davis immediately takes over the spot held by Aroldis Chapman, who became a free agent after the Cubs won their first title since 1908.Wade is going to pitch the ninth inning, Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer said.Davis has done especially well in the postseason and helped the Royals win the 2015 crown. In 27 1/3 career postseason innings as a reliever, he has a 0.33 ERA with 39 strikeouts. The 31-year-old righty went 2-1 with 27 saves in 30 chances and a 1.87 ERA last season. He spent time on the disabled list with a forearm injury and was limited to 43 1/3 innings, but returned to pitch in September.Hoyer said Royals GM Dayton Moore allowed the Cubs trainer to examine Davis earlier in the day, and the medical report was fine.He looks fantastic, Hoyer said.The 24-year-old Soler hit .238 with 12 home runs and 31 RBI in 86 games last season. He missed almost two months because of a strained left hamstring.Love his upside. Love his power, Moore said.For the Royals, the deal made financial sense as they try to cope with several star players eligible to leave after the 2017 season. Davis, who will make $10 million next year, was part of those looming free agents, along with outfielder Lorenzo Cain, first baseman Eric Hosmer, third baseman Mike Moustakas and pitcher Danny Duffy.Starting next offseason, teams only receive a draft pick after the first round if a player signs with a new club for $50 million or more. Otherwise, its a lower pick.At 24, Soler is under contract control by the Royals for a while, so this was important for us, Moore said.Soler figures to play right field and can also serve as a designated hitter.Davis joins a bullpen that includes Hector Rondon, Pedro Strop, Carl Edwards Jr. and more. For a team that expects to play that seventh month, as Hoyer said, it helps to have extra arms.Hoyer said the Cubs saw the physical toll it takes on pitchers to play until November. With Chicago well positioned to try to extend its run, Hoyer said, we want to plan accordingly.Chapman was traded from the New York Yankees to the Cubs late in the season.Having Wade there from Day One then makes everybody else a little bit better, Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. And also, when you win games, when you win a lot of games, win a lot of games in row, thats where you have the tendency to beat somebody up. So by having this kind of depth, you dont have to put the burden on one or two guys.Its going to mean you can spread it out a little bit more. So having Wade there at end permits us to use these other guys differently and the ability to spread out the workload, he said.The trade was announced at the winter meetings, where relievers have been a main focus. The San Francisco Giants gave closer Mark Melancon a $62 million, four-year deal while free agents Kenley Jansen and Chapman are still available.Theres several guys out there right now that everybody would like to have, and the guys that are out there as free agents are obvious. Guys like Wade Davis, ask around the industry, how many people would like to have him, Maddon said.Asked about Davis vs. the Cubs closer last October, I cant tell you hes better. Hes just different, Maddon said.Like I said, Aroldis pretty much relies on his fastball. Hes got a great slider. Whereas Wade, growing up a starter, pitches, he said.Davis is a two-time All-Star who has dominated in recent seasons. Since the former Tampa Bay starter became a full-time reliever in 2014, Davis is 19-4 with 47 saves and 1.18 ERA.Soler made his big league debut in 2014, and the Cuban is a career .258 hitter with 27 homers and 98 RBI. He starred in the 2015 postseason when the Cubs reached the NL Championship Series, reaching base in his first nine playoff plate appearances and batting .474 with three homers and three doubles in seven games.Soler went 2 for 13 in this years postseason, with both hits coming against Cleveland in the World Series. Clearance Nike React NZ . Calgary scored on the first shift, and Michael Cammalleri scored twice as the Flames cruised to a 5-2 win over the Washington Capitals on Saturday. Cheap Nike React NZ . 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Debates about whether No. 2 Ohio State will finish in the College Football Playoff selection committees top four have dominated the conversation, but the 11-1 Buckeyes, who didnt win their division, are out of chances to impress the committee.There are 10 Power 5 teams who will play for a conference title with the 12 committee members watching together -- the first and only time they watch live games together all season. Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez is not going to the Big Ten title game because of his responsibilities as a committee member, and the same goes for Clemson athletic director Dan Radakovich, who will not attend the ACC title game in Orlando, Florida.Instead, they will be watching from their leather swivel chairs in Selection Central at the posh Gaylord Texan Resort in Grapevine, Texas. Heres a look at the impact the conference championships will have, ranked in order of biggest impact on the final rankings Dec. 4:1. No. 3 Clemson vs. No. 23 Virginia Tech (8 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN App)If Clemson loses, the ACC is likely out, which would further open the door for a second Big Ten team. The committee isnt going to put in a three-loss Virginia Tech team, even with a league title, and Clemson will have two damaging losses (to No. 25 Pitt and the Hokies) and no conference title. This upset would have the biggest impact on the playoff because there are so many other talented teams out there -- such as Ohio State, Colorado, Michigan, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State -- with better losses that could benefit from the Tigers tumbling. If the Hokies win, they would go to the Orange Bowl as the ACC champion.2. No. 6 Wisconsin vs. No. 7 Penn State (8 p.m. ET, Fox)If Wisconsin wins, it would be much easier for the selection committee to put in Ohio State over the Big Ten champs because the Buckeyes beat Wisconsin in Madison during the regular season. If Penn State wins, though, the committee has a real headache. The committee will have to decide whether it wants to put in both teams, or just one -- and it doesnt necessarily have to be Penn State. Theres no requirement for the committee to put in four conference champions, but it also has to consider that the Nittany Lions have the 24-21 head-to-head win on Oct. 22. So far, that hasnt been enough to sway the committee. Again, the selection committee recognizes the head-to-head win, said committee chair Kirby Hocutt, but in this particular case, it hasnt been the distinguishing point in our evaluation of those two teams. And dont forget, Michigan beat both Penn State and Wisconsin.3. No. 4 Washington vs. No. 8 Colorado (Friday, 9 p.m. ET, Fox)If Washington loses, Colorado will be compared with two-loss champs from both the Big 12 and the Big Ten -- not to mention two-loss Michigan -- opening the door for one-loss Ohio State and Michigan to possibly finish in the top four.dddddddddddd If Washington wins, theres still no guarantee the Pac-12 champion is in. Its been a concern for the committee, and I would say that it continues to be a concern for the selection committee with Washingtons strength of schedule, Hocutt said. ... It is a very small margin of separation in the committees eyes between No. 4 Washington and No. 5 Michigan. Dont think I can emphasize enough the small margin of separation that the selection committee sees between those two teams.4. No. 10 Oklahoma State @ No. 9 Oklahoma (12:30 p.m. ET, Fox)Cowboys coach Mike Gundy has lamented the committees approach to his controversial loss to Central Michigan, but considering Colorado has jumped both of the Big 12s best teams, it appears to be a moot point. The Big 12 looks like a long shot in what is a crowded group of contenders. While the committee is aware of the officiating gaffe that transpired during the game, Oklahoma State has to win Bedlam and hope there is chaos above it in order to have a shot. The Sooners seem to have a slightly better shot, only because the committee has consistently ranked them ahead of Oklahoma State, but OU will also need some chaos -- likely both Washington and Clemson losing. Because one-loss Ohio State is still in the conversation, though, any two-loss league champ needs to have a compelling résumé to go along with its title.5. No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 15 Florida (4 p.m. ET, CBS)This is the least compelling of the Power 5 title games because even if undefeated Alabama loses, it would still likely be in the top four. The caveat is, with a loss, it might not be No. 1. Thats important for seeding reasons, as the committee wont put the No. 1 seed at a geographic disadvantage in a semifinal. As long as the Tide stay No. 1, they should go to the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl in Atlanta.Group of Five WatchNo. 17 Western Michigan shouldnt get too comfortable. The undefeated Broncos have a slight edge over No. 19 Navy, which made a significant jump from No. 25 last week after clobbering SMU 75-31. WMUs strength of schedule remains an issue, though, leaving the door open for the Midshipmen. Look at a Western Michigan team that is very successful on the offensive side of the ball, Hocutt said. At the same time, theyve only beaten two FBS teams with a winning record. Navy has three, what the selection committee would look at quality wins over Houston, Memphis and Tulsa. Both teams have a chance to win their respective conference titles this week, and the committee will all be together on Friday to watch WMU in the MAC championship game against Ohio (7 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN App). Navy will square off against Temple in the AAC title game on Saturday (noon ET, ABC/ESPN App). ' ' '