While Yankees general manager Brian Cashman appears to be handcuffed on whether or not to deal one or even two of the franchise’s prized relievers at the non-waiver trade deadline, ownership will have a third option at its disposal.
As of late, talks of moving either Dellin Betances or Andrew Miller have been hushed and unconvincing, but those rumors don’t seem to apply to Aroldis Chapman, who becomes a free agent at season’s end.
So the question remains: will the Yankees keep Chapman for the duration of the season, or look to trade him by August 1? Perhaps the plan is to trade Chapman soon, and then outbid the market for him this winter, according to MLB insider Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports:
Two rival execs predicted the Yankees would trade at least one-third of No Runs DMC. And since rival execs are embarrassed to even ask about Dellin Betances, and we’ve already said Miller is probably staying put, that leaves Chapman.
The Yankees would get more than they gave up for Chapman, then they might even re-sign him in the winter, making them look really opportunistic.
Not too long ago, the idea of Chapman sticking around in New York beyond 2016 was proposed, and if Cashman wishes to acquire young talent while also spending money this offseason, a long-term relationship with Chapman could be plausible. Despite being left out of the All-Star Game, Chapman’s personal success has impressed ownership since his arrival in early May, which could be enough for the Yankees to consider keeping the bullpen trio intact.
In 25 games this season, Chapman has earned 16 saves, 34 strikeouts, and a 2.74 ERA.
