The New York Yankees are reportedly telling teams that they are close to trading hard-throwing closer Aroldis Chapman, according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports. While Chapman’s time in pinstripes in nearing its end, the Yankees plan on keeping fellow left-handed reliever Andrew Miller.
While Chapman’s destination is currently unclear, Rosenthal adds that the Yankees are nearing a conclusion to the matter.
Sources: Chapman trade not necessarily imminent. But #Yankees ready to bring process to conclusion.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 24, 2016
Chapman, 28, has been rumored to be one of the Yankees’ potential trade chips for several weeks. Teams such as the Washington Nationals, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, and Miami Marlins have been connected to the “Cuban Missile” in recent weeks. On Saturday, Barry Svrulga of the Washington Post reported that the Nats “want in” on Chapman, but were not willing to deal any of their top prospects to acquire him.
Despite his high-profile off-the-field issues this past offseason, Chapman’s on-field abilities are still intact.
In 30 games with the Yankees, Chapman sports a 3-0 record with a 2.15 ERA and 20 saves. The four-time All-Star, all with the Cincinnati Reds, has maintained a stellar strikeout rate (12.6 K/9), and the lowest walk rate of his career (2.5 K/9). Also, his historically powerful fastball has been clocking in at blazing velocities.
. @AChapman_105 threw the FIVE fastest pitches of the #Statcast era, all in one inning. https://t.co/ipcHlqLkD3 pic.twitter.com/8l3tGYTq53
— #Statcast (@statcast) July 19, 2016
After six solid seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, Chapman was traded to the Yankees this offseason. However, an offseason domestic violence incident — which eventually resulted in a 30-game suspension to open the season — lowered his trade value, allowing the Yankees to acquire him for four fringe-level prospects.
According to police reports obtained by Yahoo! Sports , Chapman fired eight gunshots in the garage of his Davie, Florida home, and was accused of choking and shoving his girlfriend on October 30, 2015. Chapman’s girlfriend said that the dispute occurred after she found something on his cell phone.
Aroldis Chapman believes Latino players are unfairly targeted in MLB domestic violence cases https://t.co/AZUf6X92TY pic.twitter.com/mmeHov2TzI
— Sporting News (@sportingnews) May 8, 2016
Chapman denied choking his girlfriend, but admitted to unloading the gunshots in his garage. The report mentioned that no arrests were made “due to conflicting stories and a lack of cooperation from all parties involved.”
Upon his return, Chapman, along with Miller and Dellin Betances, was expected to form a three-headed in the back-end of the Yankees’ bullpen. Thus far, “No Runs DMC,” as the trio has been branded, have been lights out.
Yankees name Aroldis Chapman closer over Andrew Miller, Dellin Betances https://t.co/95b4sfsmm9 pic.twitter.com/se7hQ2KcGG
— SI MLB (@si_mlb) January 12, 2016
As noted by ESPN Stats & Info on July 18, the Yankees were 18-1 in games where all three relievers pitched. Following Saturday’s 3-2 loss to the Giants, the Yankees are now 19-2 in games where all three have pitched.
Now, several months after originally acquiring Chapman, the Yankees are nearing a trade to deal him elsewhere. If that happens, Chapman has made it clear he would return to New York under the right circumstances.
“I feel very happy and comfortable here in the city,” Chapman told NJ Advance Media earlier this week. “At the same time, this is a business and if I happened to be traded away, I’m pretty sure they’re going to be doing it for the good of the team.
“That being said, if the opportunity comes up where I can come back to the team, I would be more than happy.”
In addition to Chapman, the Yankees still have veteran outfielder Carlos Beltran and some other players prominently in trade talks.
[Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images]
