While it’s yet to be determined if the Yankees will part ways with reliever Andrew Miller this summer, any notion of selling at the non-waiver trade deadline in two weeks will likely begin with conversations around another arm – Aroldis Chapman.
The 28-year-old southpaw leads the pack of available relief pitching on the market this July, and come this winter, the soon-to-be free agent could potentially garner the most money ever given to a closer.
But as a three-month rental, Chapman’s appeal could only interest a select few World Series contenders, and in Wednesday’s edition of ESPN’s Baseball Tonight podcast, host Buster Olney and guest Bob Nightengale of USA Today discussed the Washington Nationals as a potential landing spot for Chapman:
Olney: I think at some point they’re gonna upgrade that bullpen, and I think they’ll be in play for some of the big names. Mike Rizzo the general manager has demonstrated that he will go out and make big trades and I think the market is gonna play to their advantage because there are gonna be a lot of relievers available here in the next 19 days.
In response to Olney’s inquiry, Nightengale argued that Chapman’s fit in the nation’s capital makes the most sense:
Nightengale: I think the Nationals got Arolids Chapman written all over them. I mean, Chapman and Dusty Baker were close, the assistant GM Bob Miller had Chapman with the Cincinnati Reds. I think it’s a perfect fit, a short-term fit, and they’re gonna do something. I think they’ve got a chance too, to win the World Series, but they’re missing that one big bullpen piece.
With a six-game lead in the National League East standings, the Nationals (54-36) have emerged as one of baseball’s legitimate adversaries, but with health concerns revolving around current closer Jonathan Papelbon, the addition of Chapman would provide stability, and create an edge over other National League contenders, such as the Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants.
In late June, FanRag Sports’ own Jon Heyman proposed a Chapman trade to Washington, with the Yankees acquiring highly-touted second base prospect Trea Turner in exchange. But the Nationals haven’t expressed any interest in parting ways with Turner, who will soon become a regular position player in the majors.
Chapman has collected 38 strikeouts and 17 saves in 25.1 innings this season.
