Wilson spent the offseason making an adjustment to his delivery, which now includes a lower leg kick when he finishes his pitches, Carrie Muskat of MLB.com reports. "[Wilson] made an adjustment and the adjustment that he made, he understands the importance of strike throwing in his delivery," manager Joe Maddon said. "In a perverse way, it was not good but he figured something out mechanically or physically that I think long term will benefit him."
Wilson helped stabilize a porous Tigers bullpen in the first half of last season, displacing Francisco Rodriguez as closer in early May and registering a 2.68 ERA, 13 saves and a 55:16 K:BB in 40.1 innings over 42 appearances before being dealt to the Cubs on July 31. The lefty moved down a few rungs in the comparatively deeper Cubs bullpen and was never able to find his footing with his new team. He posted a 5.09 ERA in 23 outings with Chicago, which resulted in him being left off the team's NLCS roster. The poor finish to last season will likely result in Wilson settling for middle-relief work to begin the upcoming campaign, but if the offseason adjustment helps the 30-year-old rediscover the form he previously displayed with the Tigers, he could ultimately settle into a more prominent setup role.