Cubs still in on Aroldis Chapman

In Commentary And Analysis, News And Rumors by dmick89166 Comments

aroldis_chapmanI’ve assumed for some time now that the Cubs weren’t really all that interested in Aroldis Chapman. I had assumed their real and only interest was Andrew Miller, but according to Ken Davidoff, the Yankees have asked for best and final bids from four teams. Those four teams are the Nationals, Cubs, Indians and, you know it, a mystery team.

They’re advancing on a different front. An industry source told The Post that the Yankees had asked serious Chapman suitors — a list believed to include the Nationals, the Cubs and the Indians, as well as a mystery team — for their best and final offers. While that doesn’t clinch a trade of Chapman, the impending free agent, it makes such a transaction darn likely. The Yankees intend to hold onto Miller, who is signed through 2018.

Davidoff suggests the Yankees will not be moving Andrew Miller now who I actually thought was no longer a target after the Cubs acquired Mike Montgomery. But I do have to admit that acquiring Chapman intrigues me. A 7th, 8th and 9th inning of Pedro Strop, Hector Rondon and Aroldis Chapman is awfully good. It would give the Cubs the shutdown bullpen that teams try for when they’re serious about the playoffs.

Add in Carl Edwards, Jr., Mike Montgomery and I’m still hoping Justin Grimm can return to form. All of a sudden the Cubs would have a very good bullpen. It wouldn’t come cheap, but probably cheaper than it would cost to get Andrew Miller.

The Yankees gave up quantity to get Chapman, but not a lot of quality. They did give up a couple of prospects ranked in the lower half of the top 10 (#6 and #10) and then two prospects ranked outside the team’s top 30. More than half a season later and Chapman is closer to free agency. There’s also no possibility of getting a draft pick if Chapman signs with another team for next season.

I’d have to give it some more thought, but Billy McKinney and Jeimer Candelario are ranked by Baseball America in similar spots in the top 10. Eloy Jimenez has made a huge step forward and is now easily in the Cubs top 5 and probably off the table for Chapman. What do you guys think it would take to acquire Chapman?

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  1. Rizzo the Rat

    I’m guessing Chapman will cost more than he’s worth. Teams can get a little panicky with relievers.

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  2. Edwin

    Maybe Zagunis and Candelario? Would that be enough, or would the Yankees want one more throw in, like a low A lottery arm?

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  3. Author
    dmick89

    Edwin,

    Yeah, I figured some low level prospects would be included too. Zagunis is a good idea though I’m thinking we’re probably higher on him than a lot of people. I’d be ok with including Almora, but I’m not high on him.

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  4. Author
    dmick89

    Clayton Richard, I’d assume. I don’t even know why he’s still on the team. Trevor Cahill probably replaces either Grimm or Warren when Cahill is finished with his rehab.

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  5. EnricoPallazzo

    dmick89,

    Yeah clayton kershaw Richard is the obvious choice but I just didn’t even consider that he would be optioned because of the insane amount of blackmail material that he obviously has on the FO. It’s either that or witchcraft.

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  6. Author
    dmick89

    I wish there was a video of Sale cutting those uniforms up. What were his teammates doing? Did he get caught in the middle of cutting them up? Did he just admit to doing it? There are lots of questions.

    Ventura: Who the fuck did this shit?
    Sale: That was me, coach.

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  7. Author
    dmick89

    Bruce Levine
    5m
    Bruce Levine‏ @MLBBruceLevine
    MLB source- the Cleveland Indians have the best names on the table for Aroldis Chapman. Deal could be close Washington also very aggressive

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  8. Rizzo the Rat

    dmick89:
    I wish there was a video of Sale cutting those uniforms up. What were his teammates doing? Did he get caught in the middle of cutting them up? Did he just admit to doing it? There are lots of questions.

    Ventura: Who the fuck did this shit?
    Sale: That was me, coach.

    He reportedly did it when his teammates were doing batting practice.

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  9. Rizzo the Rat

    Weekends like this are why I don’t consider a 6.5 game lead safe at this point of the season.

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  10. uncle dave

    Cubs hitters aren’t exactly challenging the ump to show the same zone as Lester has gotten today. What a waste of time.

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  11. Author
    dmick89

    Lester couldn’t pitch in the 80s. He’d give up 12 stolen bases a game. The Cardinals would steal 30 in a single game against him.

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  12. JonKneeV

    Ron: “Clayton might have gotten away with one there. ”

    No, Ron. That’s literally the only way he can get an out.

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  13. SK

    I think I saw somewhere that the Cubs haven’t come back from a deficit of 2 runs or more in like the last 50 games, so there’s that.

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  14. Author
    dmick89

    SK,

    Last year they never seemed out of it. They could be down 5 runs and it still felt like a game they could win. Not so this year. They get down and they’re done. They may as well just go home and save themselves from any chance of injury.

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  15. Rizzo the Rat

    Pat Hughes needs to stop getting excited at those deep fly outs. He nearly gave me a heart attack there.

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  16. uncle dave

    I can’t recall a less enjoyable Cubs season than this, and we’re still 6 games up. It kinda sucks.

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  17. SK

    This year is more enjoyable than 2009, but less enjoyable than 2004.

    Both of these comparisons could change, though.

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  18. Rizzo the Rat

    This game is trying to get my hopes up. Won’t fool me this time. I’m not running to kick that football again.

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  19. cerulean

    checks score in the fifth

    Ceramic Dildo pitching, down four. Abandon hope.

    checks score in the eighth just to confirm the futility of hope

    Up two. (dying laughing)

    thinks comments must be priceless

    You guys do not disappoint.

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  20. Rizzo the Rat

    I guess Lucroy’s CS% was a lot lower before this year, so maybe he’s not as good as I thought.

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  21. uncle dave

    That’s six outs they’ve made at second base today? If they don’t lose this one, nobody can say they didn’t try…

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  22. Rizzo the Rat

    Hitters the Cubs pitchers can’t figure out:

    Nick Markakis
    Kirk Nieuwenhuis
    Billy Hamilton
    Rene Rivera

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  23. Perkins

    Myles Handley:
    Apparently its torres+ for chapman, with chapman getting extended.

    Excuse while I vomit into the nearest garbage can.

    Rosenthal said Schwarber and Torres, but I haven’t seen that anywhere else. That would fucking suck.

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  24. Author
    dmick89

    Torres plus for Chapman and you extend Chapman? I’d rather it just be Torres plus for Chapman and no extension because any extension is probably going to suck.

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  25. Author
    dmick89

    Perkins: Rosenthal said Schwarber and Torres, but I haven’t seen that anywhere else. That would fucking suck.

    If the Cubs give up Schwarber and Torres for Chapman, I fucking quit.

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  26. Author
    dmick89

    I can’t write anything about this for awhile so if something goes down, this will have to do unless someone else gets to it before I have a chance.

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  27. Perkins

    dmick89: If the Cubs give up Schwarber and Torres for Chapman, I fucking quit.

    Everything else I’m seeing has Torres as the centerpiece, for what it’s worth.

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  28. Perkins

    dmick89:
    Hector Rondon probably won’t be very happy about this.

    Probably not, but here’s a thought: if the Cubs are looking to extend Chapman, what are the odds they see him as a starter after this season?

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  29. Perkins

    Rizzo the Rat: You mean this? twitter.com/kyle24lamb/status/757362598782312448
    That’s a fake account.

    Awesome. This is what I get for not actually being on Twitter. (dying laughing)

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  30. Smokestack Lightning

    dmick89:
    Supposedly a 4 year, $60 million extension on the table for Chapman from the Cubs.

    Turn him into a SP next year, might not be so bad.

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  31. Author
    dmick89

    Jeff Passan
    Twitter › JeffPassan
    Sources: Aroldis Chapman to Cubs looking likelier. Multiple pieces from Cubs, including Gleyber Torres, are agreed upon. Still not done

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  32. cerulean

    dmick89,

    I get the feeling that multiple players will be moving each direction. The Yankees have some interesting but risky MiL arms. Such seems to have been Theo’s MO, though it’s extraordinarily presumptuous to assume others do not or cannot change.

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  33. Author
    dmick89

    It’s a lot to give up and Chapman undoubtedly improves their playoff odds, but I’m not sure it’s worth it even if it’s just Torres. Chapman is a piece of shit, but I don’t oppose the trade because of that. It certainly makes it harder to get behind the trade, but I don’t expect the Cubs to be a team of angels.

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  34. Rizzo the Rat

    The price seems steep to me, too. He’s only going to get about 25 regular season innings. Though, to be honest, I’m also excited about how good the back of the bullpen is going to look assuming this trade goes through.

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  35. JonKneeV

    The thing that sucks about trading Torres is not being able to use him in trade for a starter this offseason.

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  36. Edwin

    Fans love giving players 2nd chances on things, so it makes sense that Cubs fans would embrace Chapman, just like they gave Sosa a second chance for the steroids.

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  37. Myles

    Edwin:
    Fans love giving players 2nd chances on things, so it makes sense that Cubs fans would embrace Chapman, just like they gave Sosa a second chance for the steroids.

    Turn. That. Shit. Green.

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  38. SK

    Can anyone link me to a neat summary of Chapman’s shit? I recall the initial incident and reporting on that, and I know he escaped criminal charges but still was suspended by MLB, but that’s all I know. From the comments I am seeing, I take it he hasn’t owned up to what he did?

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  39. Mucker

    I’ve been reading that a deal is very close and that it’s Torres and more for Chapman. Isn’t that a lot? I would think that a team’s #1 prospect/Top 25 MLB prospect alone should be enough to get a RP who’ll be a free agent after this year. I really like the thought of Chapman closing games for the Cubs but at that price? I don’t know how I feel about that. I know there ere rumors of an extension holding the deal up but why would Chapman sign an extension at this point? I feel like Torres and a package of players can get more return than a RP. I liked it better when the Cubs were on the other end of these types of trades. (dying laughing)

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  40. Edwin

    I just hope when Theo or Tom or whoever addresses the fans in regards to the domestic violence issue, that they do more than the token address the issue/defend the player 100% stuff that almost every team does. I’m tired of the Blackhawks/Bears approach to these things.

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  41. Edwin

    Myles Handley:
    I will honestly like the Cubs a little less if this trade goes through. Maybe a lot less.

    It definitely hurts my enjoyment. I really hope there’s no extention, because I don’t think I can take 3-4 more seasons of the guy.

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  42. Josh

    THe one thing I’ll say about Chapman from a pure player perspective, isn’t a shutdown closer the one statistically most important thing about going deep in the post season?

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  43. SK

    This deal could be consummated today, or not; I’ll keep checking for new information and post additional info here if and when it happens.

    Al so funny

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  44. SK

    Al’s insight about when this deal will be consummated is impressive enough on its own; his checking for new information really proves the incredible value of BCB.

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  45. Author
    dmick89

    SK:
    Can anyone link me to a neat summary of Chapman’s shit? I recall the initial incident and reporting on that, and I know he escaped criminal charges but still was suspended by MLB, but that’s all I know. From the comments I am seeing, I take it he hasn’t owned up to what he did?

    Even after the suspension he was adamant he did nothing wrong.

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  46. Smokestack Lightning

    Myles Handley: I will honestly like the Cubs a little less if this trade goes through. Maybe a lot less.

    If Chapman is even half the monster everyone seems to think he is, then yeah, agreed.

    I’m just not so sure. Don’t feel I have enough info about any of it to feel comfortable making a definitive judgment about what happened and especially the ultimate character of Chapman. Maybe that’s me being conveniently evasive because he throws 105, and maybe with something like a domestic incident, the right call is to err on the side of assuming the worst of both the man and what happened. But there’s a non-small part of me that feels very uneasy doing such a thing, and honestly, I’m a bit confused (and disconcerted) by those who do speak with such certainty about Chapman. Applied to other issues less emotionally charged and there’s probably a lot more circumspection and brake-tapping going on.

    But again, maybe the best way to go about it because the issue is so very, very important, is to assume Chapman is a horrible person.

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  47. Author
    dmick89

    Smokestack Lightning: and honestly, I’m a bit confused (and disconcerted) by those who do speak with such certainty about Chapman. Applied to other issues less emotionally charged and there’s probably a lot more circumspection and brake-tapping going on.

    I have no problem applying a little bit of common sense to this and jumping to the conclusion that he did most likely choke his girlfriend. I have no problem then leaping the conclusion that he’s basically a piece of shit and I’d have no problem doing the same for other crimes, especially ones in which a privileged class gets away with the action most of the time.

    That said, I have no problem with the trade on those grounds. It makes more difficult to like, but in a good trade, I’d be perfectly fine with the Cubs acquiring Chapman. He’s available to play MLB and I’d rather he play for the Cubs than not. I haven’t cared about off field stuff when it comes to who should or should not be on the team for as long as I can remember and I’m not going to start now.

    If that makes me part of the problem, which I’m sure some will say it does, then I feel bad about that, but I’m OK with it. I’m pretty sure complaining about this trade or complaining about Chapman isn’t part of the solution. This issues sucks and it’s too bad it’s going to be the focus of much writing over the next few months.

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