The Cuban Missile: The Legend Of Aroldis Chapman
The Cubs made their boldest move of the Theo Epstein regime by acquiring power-throwing closer Aroldis Chapman from the Yankees on Monday.
Chapman, 28, gives the Cubs the formidable left-handed late-inning specialist theyve sought in their efforts to win their first World Series title since 1908.
The trade cost the Cubs prized shortstop prospect Gleyber Torres, pitcher Adam Warren, left-handed-hitting outfielder Billy McKinney, 21, and, reportedly, minor leaguer Rashad Crawford.
But the Cubs believe Chapman, who has a 3-0 record with a 2.01 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 31 1/3 innings, is worth the cost and controversy surrounding him. Chapman has 165 saves over the past five seasons with the Reds and Yankees, and his fastball was clocked at 105 mph numerous times last week.
Chapman, however, served a 30-game suspension at the start of this season under Major League Baseballs new policy on domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse. Chapman was accused of choking his 22-year-old girlfriend and firing eight shots in his Florida home after last season but was not prosecuted due to conflicting information.
Chapman also has been cited for numerous driving violations primarily speeding penalties in Florida.
In a July game at Great American Ballpark in July 2014, Cubs slugger Anthony Rizzo took exception to several of Chapmans pitches sailing near the heads of a few teammates.
Rizzo went toward the Reds dugout, igniting a bench-clearing incident. But Rizzo and several Reds players made their peace at the 2014 All-Star Game.
Epstein, who is in a win-now mode for the second consecutive summer, has been aggressive in his search to upgrade the bullpen particularly from the left side.
The Cubs acquired lefty Mike Montgomery from the Mariners in a four-player trade completed Wednesday. After making the deal, Epstein was pleased that he still maintained several of his top trading chips in the minors that allowed him to continue pursuing a marquee pitcher of Chapmans talents well in advance of the Aug. 1 trade deadline.
Travis Wood, the Cubs primary left-hander in the bullpen, is among the league leaders with 49 appearances.
Chapman was scheduled to earn $11.325 million this season in his final season as an arbitration eligible player and is expected to become one of the most highly sought-after free agents in what is projected as a shallow free agent pitching market this winter.
Chapman, a former starting pitcher, still is equipped to throw multiple innings. That fits in well with manager Joe Maddons habit of asking relievers to get more than three outs on certain occasions.
The Cubs have struggled against left-handed hitters in late-inning situations, but Chapman, 28, has limited left-handers to a .123 batting average with one home run in 309 career at-bats against left-handers.
Chapman also is familiar with the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates from his days with the Cincinnati Reds. The Cardinals havent scored in their past 25 innings against Chapman, who has a lifetime 2.01 ERA to go with an .099 batting average with 51 strikeouts in 31 innings against them.
Cardinals All-Star catcher Yadier Molina is 0-for-7 with four strikeouts against Chapman, while Matt Holiday and Matt Carpenter are each 1-for-8 with five strikeouts.
Chapman has a lifetime 0.90 ERA with 72 strikeouts in 40 innings against the Pirates, who are batting only .145 against him.
Chapman has pitched in only two postseasons and none since 2012, but he should know whats at stake as he approaches free agency with the chance to help the Cubs win their first World Series since 1908.
Against potential playoff opponents, Chapman has struck out 28 in 17 innings against the Washington Nationals while limiting them to a .125 batting average to go with a 1.04 ERA.
Chapman has been even more dominant against the Los Angeles Dodgers, not allowing a run while striking out 17 in nine innings. Dodgers sluggers Justin Turner, Chase Utley and Adrian Gonzalez are a combined 0-for-14 with eight strikeouts.
Hehas struck out 23 in 14 1/3 innings against the San Francisco Giants to go with a 1.26 ERA.
Reports also stated that the Yankees were hesitant to move left-hander Andrew Miller, who is signed through 2018 and drew heavy interest from the Cubs and several teams. That caused many teams to look at other relievers, especially Chapman.
A Yankees scout attended the Cubs three-game series at Milwaukee this weekend.
Torres, 19, was deemed expendable with Addison Russell, 22, as the Cubs shortstop and versatile Javier Baez, 23, who came through the Cubs" system as a shortstop.Torres hit.275 with nine home runs, 47 RBIs, 19 stolen bases and 62 runs in 94 games. The Cubs signed him to a $1.8 million bonus in the 2013 international draft.
The Yankees have been looking to fortify their 40-man roster with top high-level prospects to take over for aging, high-salaried veterans.
Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-cubs-aroldis-chapman-20160725-story.html
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