In an effort to bolster their bullpen, the New York Yankees have acquired All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman from the Cincinnati Reds, according to Jack Curry of the YES Network.
Source: Yankees are on the verge of acquiring Aroldis Chapman from the Reds.
— Jack Curry (@JackCurryYES) December 28, 2015
The Yankees have been trying to add another dominant arm to the back-end of their bullpen, and finally have been able to do so with this trade. Before the July 31 trade deadline, the teams were engaged in possible trade talks, but both sides weren’t able to reach an agreement.
Earlier in the offseason, it appeared as if the 27-year-old was set to be traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers, but trade talks broke down after Chapman was reported to be involved in a potential domestic violence case. The case is still unsettled, but it didn’t push the Yankees away from pulling the trigger on this deal.
Chapman will be a huge addition to the Yankees bullpen, who now have the ability to shorten games for their starting pitching. Along with Andrew Miller and Dellin Betances, the Yankees now have a three-headed monster in the back-end of their bullpen, which could definitely help take some pressure off the team’s starting pitching.
In return, the Yankees will give up four prospects for Chapman: pitchers Caleb Cotham, Rookie Davis, plus infielders Eric Jagielo and Tony Renda. Of the four prospects, only Cotham has seen time in the big leagues.
For the Yankees, the best part of this deal is that the team didn’t have to part with their top four prospects: Jorge Mateo, Luis Severino, Gregory Bird and Aaron Judge. General Manager Brian Cashman has stated previously that the team was unwilling to trade any of those four players, and the organization continues to stand by that philosophy.
This offseason has been relatively quiet for the Yankees, but the two trades they were able to pull off for Starlin Castro and Chapman should definitely help the team get better. If the current roster stays intact, the three-headed monster at the back-end of the Yankees’ bullpen could be crucial in helping the team compete for another American League East Division title.
