New York Yankees Should Trade Pitcher to Miami Marlins

Should the New York Yankees trade Aroldis Chapman if it also means ridding themselves of poor, long-term contracts?

Perhaps trying to beat those Nationals to the punch, the Miami Marlins have expressed interest in possibly acquiring New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman, per NJ.com’s Randy Miller. They’re currently third in the National League East division, only three games behind the first-place Washington Nationals and tied with the New York Mets for the first wild-card spot.

According to ESPN’s Buster Olney (subscription required), the Marlins know they lack the minor league assets to facilitate a deal for Chapman, who since returning from his 30-day suspension for domestic violence allegations amassed a 2.70 ERA with 15 saves in 21 appearances.

Though Chapman has struck out 31 batters in just 20 innings pitched, he’s looked shaky at times, allowing 16 hits, two of which were home runs.

In comparison, during the entire 2015 campaign, Chapman only allowed three home runs in 43 hits while throwing 66 innings, finishing with a stellar 1.63 ERA.

As for the Marlins, their bullpen currently ranks sixth in the National League with a decent 3.69 ERA. However, they have blown the third most saves in the entire majors with 12.

Closer A.J. Ramos has posted 24 saves in 33 appearances and a 1.74 ERA. He should undoubtedly represent the club at the July 12 All-Star Game in San Diego. But if a trade were to go down, shifting Ramos to the setup role and Chapman finishing off the ninth, would give the Marlins a solid one-two punch to finish off games. With the addition, they could potentially make a real playoff run.

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Baseball Prospectus currently has the Marlins’ minor league system ranked 29th in all of baseball. Add to that, their top prospect, 20-year-old hard-throwing right-hander Tyler Kolek has been shut down indefinitely with elbow pain.

It’s easy to see that the Marlins would need to become creative to make any deal happen. While they would be reluctant to trade away their young nucleus consisting of Christian Yelich, Marcell Ozuna, or Dee Gordon, pitchers such as left-hander Adam Conley, Bronx-native Tom Koehler, or Jose Urena would be a start.

More importantly, it seems the Marlins would be receptive to the idea of taking back long-term contracts the Yankees no longer find fitting to their needs.

The worst of the bunch would be Jacoby Ellsbury‘s, seven-year, $153 million deal that runs through 2020, per spotrac.com. I find it unlikely any club on the planet would add this monstrosity to its payroll, but if you’re the Yankees you’d have to try at least.

Other names could include Chase Headley (.244 batting average, four home runs, and 18 RBIs) and his $39 million through 2018.

And, there’s always Miami native Alex Rodriguez. Coming off a 2015 season where A-Rod carried the Yanks’ offense on his back, he currently looks like a shell of his former self.

Thus far, Rodriguez has posted a .223 batting average, eight home runs, and 26 RBIs. He’s owed another $21 million in 2017. Furthermore, he’s taking up a valuable DH spot the Yankees can use to alternate aging players in and out of the lineup.

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Finally, bring up and consistently play Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez, or re-sign Carlos Beltran for one more year; those are better alternatives than keeping a deteriorating Rodriguez.

Yes, Rodriguez is only seven home runs away from 700, which is a monumental accomplishment. Let him do it in his home city, on a retirement tour next to his former teammate in New York, Ichiro Suzuki.

The Marlins and Yankees would get what they want out of a potential trade if done the right way.

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New York Yankees Should Trade Aroldis Chapman to Miami Marlins

By Mike Calendrillo | Jun 28, 2016

Should the New York Yankees trade Aroldis Chapman if it also means ridding themselves of poor, long-term contracts?

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