Back in December, in the days after the trade the re-shaped the Royals bullpen, reliever Kelvin Herrera pulled out his phone and sent a text message to former closer Wade Davis.
You could perhaps view the brief conversation that followed as some sort of passing of the torch. But Herrera says he simply wanted to wish his friend well. If not a vocal leader, Davis had become something like a Pitch Whisperer in the Kansas City bullpen, offering tips on mechanics or observing subtle changes on grips. With Davis headed to the Chicago Cubs in a trade for outfielder Jorge Soler, and Herrera understood one thing: Davis would be missed.