New York Yankees Deal Aroldis Chapman To Chicago Cubs

By Kenneth Teape | Jul 25, 2016

Jul 9, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman (54) delivers in the eleventh inning against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /

The New York Yankees have officially traded Aroldis Chapman, sending him to the Chicago Cubs for a package of four players.

The New York Yankees and Chicago Cubs were rumored to be nearing a deal Sunday that revolved around closer Aroldis Chapman. Today, that deal became official, as Chapman will be heading to the North Side in a deal that will land the Yankees a package of four players.

In exchange for Chapman, the Yankees will receive the Cubs top prospect, shortstop Gleyber Torres, outfielder Billy McKinney, the fifth ranked prospect in the organization, outfielder Rashad Crawford and pitcher Adam Warren.

There were rumors running rampant that the deal was being held up because the Cubs were attempting to work out an extension with the flame throwing Chapman to keep him in Chicago beyond this season as a rental. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports that an extension was not reached, but the deal will be completed regardless.

The #Cubs do not have contract extension with Aroldis Chapman once #Yankees deal becomes official. Yankees tried themselves, and rebuffed.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) July 25, 2016

This is quite a haul for the Yankees with Chapman making it clear that he wants to test the free agent waters after the season. Landing two of the Cubs’ top five prospects is a solid haul, as both Torres and McKinney should add depth to the Yankees farm system and give them two more potential building blocks for the future.

Both could make their major league debuts in the next two seasons, which is when the Yankees expect to begin making their climb back up towards the top of the MLB hierarchy.

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In Warren, the Yankees are retaining a player who was traded to the Cubs during the offseason in exchange for Starlin Castro. That trade looks even better for the Yankees now, as they essentially traded Brendan Ryan for Castro, a trade that would even be tough to execute in a video game.

Crawford gives the Yankees more depth in their minor league system and someone that could develop into a solid bench option with some speed. He has struggled to hit in the minor leagues with a .252 career average, but he has increased his stolen base totals every season and possess worthwhile speed.

This is quite a coup for the Yankees for a player that the Cubs may not have beyond these next three months on their roster. But, the Cubs are in win-now mode and looking to break the curse, so they will make any moves necessary.

Chapman fills a big need for the Cubs, as they lacked a late inning left-handed option. They acquired Mike Montgomery from the Seattle Mariners last week who could have filled that role, but he has a lot of versatility so shoehorning him into one role wouldn’t have made much sense.

This was a big move for the Cubs because it also blocked one of the contenders in the National League, the Washington Nationals, from upgrading their team. The Nationals were thought to be favorites for Chapman at one point last week, but the Cubs jumped in there and stole him away.

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Chapman instantly upgrades the Cubs bullpen, bringing his 100+ miles per hour fastball and devastating slider along with him. He has recorded at least 30 saves and 100 strikeouts in four consecutive seasons, the most in major league history. Chapman got a late start to the season because of a suspension to begin the year, but he is still close to reaching those numbers again with 20 saves and 44 strikeouts on the season.

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