Chicago Cubs Downs made his debut for the
Williamsport Cubs of the
New York–Penn League, a Low-A affiliate of the Cubs. He made his way through the minor leagues and eventually made the Cubs' roster for opening day . Between the time Downs started in the Cubs' system and when he made the major leagues, he was briefly in the
Minnesota Twins system as he was sent by the Cubs to the Twins in November 1998 as a
player to be named later from an earlier trade that had brought
Mike Morgan back to the Cubs for a second stint. Downs was traded back to the Cubs by the Twins in May 1999 as part of a trade that also saw
Rick Aguilera go to Chicago. Downs made his major league debut for the Chicago Cubs on April 9, . He finished with a 4–3 record and a 5.17 ERA in 18 starts with the Cubs. On June 11, 2004, while playing for the
Edmonton Trappers, the Triple-A affiliate of the Expos, Downs threw a
no-hitter against the
Las Vegas 51s. It was the first no-hitter by a Trapper since August 8, 1996, when
Aaron Small threw one against the
Vancouver Canadians. After struggling in for the Expos, he was released on November 29.
Toronto Blue Jays Downs was signed by the
Toronto Blue Jays on December 16, 2004. He split the season between Triple-A and Toronto, posting a 4–3 record with a 4.31 ERA in 26 games (13 starts). Downs appeared in 81 games for Toronto in the 2007 season, tying Baltimore's
Jamie Walker for the
American League lead in that category. Downs went 4–2 with a 2.17 earned run average as a situational reliever, allowing 47
hits in 58 innings. Downs was scheduled to be the Toronto Blue Jays' primary set up man for the season. However, when closer
B. J. Ryan was sent to the
disabled list on April 23, Downs was announced as having taken his place. On July 8, Ryan was released and Downs was activated from the disabled list. Manager
Cito Gaston named Downs the Blue Jays' permanent closer.
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim On December 10, 2010, Downs signed a three-year, $15 million contract with the
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He took over the role of
closer from struggling reliever
Jordan Walden on April 27, 2012.
Atlanta Braves On July 29, 2013, Downs was traded to the
Atlanta Braves for
Cory Rasmus. He made his debut with the team the same day, pitching scoreless innings and earning a win versus the
Colorado Rockies. However, Downs did not make the Braves' NLDS roster.
Chicago White Sox On January 2, 2014, the
Chicago White Sox announced that they had signed Downs to a one-year, $4 million contract with a club option for 2015. On June 26, the White Sox designated Downs for assignment. The left hander had struggled over innings pitched, posting a 6.08 ERA. He was released on July 3.
Kansas City Royals On July 6, 2014, the
Kansas City Royals signed Downs to a one-year contract. He posted a 3.14 ERA in 17 relief appearances with the Royals while posting an 0–2 record. He was released on March 30.
Pitching style Downs is a two-pitch pitcher. He mainly uses a heavy
sinker at about 88–90 mph, and he complements it with a mid-70s
curveball, mostly used against left-handed hitters. Prior to 2011, he also threw a
slider. ==Personal==