Yankees Rumors: Closing In On Deal With Cubs For Aroldis Chapman

By Kenneth Teape | Jul 25, 2016

Jul 18, 2016; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman (54) throws to first base to check on a runner agaiinst the Baltimore Orioles during the ninth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports /

Recent New York Yankees rumors have them close to completing a deal with the Chicago Cubs for closer Aroldis Chapman.

New York Yankees rumors have hit an apex, as one looks to be close to coming to fruition. According to multiple sources familiar with the situation, the Yankees are closing in on a deal with the Chicago Cubs centered around closer Aroldis Chapman.

According to the sources, the deal is close to completion, and in return the Yankees will be receiving Single A shortstop Gleyber Torres.

While many fans will be disappointed that the Yankees will not be receiving Kyle Schwarber in a deal, the Yankees couldn’t do much better than landing Torres. The Cubs have seen a number of their top players called up in recent seasons, but Torres finds himself at the top of the Cubs’ prospects rankings, as he is the No.1 player in their farm system.

Torres is not only a top prospect for the Cubs, he is one of the highest ranked prospects in all of baseball. ESPN’s Keith Law has Torres ranked as the 15th best prospect in baseball, so this would be quite a return for the Yankees to land.

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While people may question the acquisition, as the Yankees have an everyday shortstop in Didi Gregorius and a top prospect in Jorge Mateo already at shortstop, they are not in a position to be picky. When you have a chance to land a player with the caliber of Torres, you do not pass up that chance.

If this deal comes to fruition, it is a good one for both sides. As mentioned previously, the Cubs are loaded with young position players at virtually every position. They are clearly in win-now mode, so they can handle sending away their top prospect in Torres if it means landing Chapman.

Chapman presents a huge upgrade for the Cubs, and fills a hole in their bullpen. They were lacking a left-handed option to use in late game situations, which is part of the reason that they acquired Mike Montgomery from the Seattle Mariners earlier in the week.

Bringing Chapman on board gives them a lot of flexibility, as Montgomery can be used in a number of different situations, while Chapman can lock down late game situations. It gives Joe Maddon a chance to mix and match as the game goes on given certain matchups without having to worry about burning his only left-handed option early in the game.

Torres is advanced beyond his years, as he was signed by the Cubs as an international free agent in 2013. As an 18-year old in 2015, Torres helped lead Myrtle Beach to the high Class A Carolina League Championship.

He is on the fast track to the major leagues, and could debut in the show by 2018 at the tender age of 20 years old. There is a chance that he could be moved to second base or third base, as he profiles well both offensively and defensively at either spot.

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That could be what the Yankees have in store down the line, as Gregorius is currently holding things down and Mateo is next in the pipeline. That won’t be an issue for a number of years though, as the Yankees are continuing to stock pile young talent that should help them in the coming seasons.

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