Chicago Cubs: Breaking down the trade for Aroldis Chapman

The Chicago Cubs and the New York Yankees finalized a deal early Monday morning that will send Aroldis Chapman to Chicago for prospects Billy McKinney, Gleyber Torres, Rashad Crawford and reliever Adam Warren.

Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball first broke the news. Chapman is expected to join the team Tuesday during the series with the Chicago White Sox.

This trade makes perfect sense from the Cubs Front Office standpoint. Torres, Crawford, and McKinney have a very small chance of getting any playing time so long as Addison Russell and Javier Baez are on the team. In return, the Cubs get a proven, dominant relief pitcher to anchor the bullpen.

Critics point out that the Cubs seem to be overvaluing Chapman, who is set to be a free agent after this year, by giving away two top prospects. Torres and McKinney’s respective values are based on potential and not production, however, while Chapman’s value is directly correlated to his success in the big leagues. The Cubs didn’t give up anything they don’t already have, either.

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The Cubs infield is under contract until 2022, with the only exception being Ben Zobrist who can become a free agent in 2020. Their average age is just over 26 years old, making them the youngest infield in the league. A multitude of infielders also doubled as outfield replacements, which adds to their depth.

Torres was seen as the Cubs future option at shortstop should anything derail Russell’s time at the position. He’s hitting .275/.433/.791 for the Cubs high-A affiliate Myrtle Beach Pelicans this year, with nine home runs, 47 RBIs, and 42 walks.

Scouts are quick to point out his defensive prowess, and his bat gives the Yankees an offensive replacement for Didi Gregorius. The Cubs are incredibly deep at shortstop, which makes parting with the No. 2 prospect in their organization a little easier.

McKinney and Crawford ran into the same walls—no pun intended—in the organization. The Cubs have a surplus of outfielders, and other position players that can play the outfield. McKinney came over with Russell in the trade for Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel in 2014. Crawford was the Cubs 11^th round pick in the 2012 Amateur Draft.

McKinney is the closest to making his Major League debut out of the position players traded. His career .281 batting average from the left side coupled with his ability to be a designated hitter is lucrative for the Yankees considering the short right field fence at Yankee Stadium. Crawford is scouted as a defensive outfielder, though he his offense has picked up considerably in July, hitting .342/.422/.468 in the month.

J.J. Cooper of Baseball America said on adding Crawford to the trade, “[he’s] a perfect 4th player in the deal, lottery ticket CF with tools–+ defender, + speed. Question is the bat.”

Warren joined the Cubs in a trade that sent Starlin Castro to the Yankees. The Cubs hoped to get a reliever that could lock down the sixth and seventh innings and make a spot start when needed. Unfortunately, Warren didn’t live up to expectations. This season, Warren is averaging 4.9 BB/9, his highest in the past four seasons, and 6.9 K/9, his lowest since 2012.

His 5.91 ERA and 19 walks in 35 innings are also indicative of his command being the main issue. He was recently sent down to Triple-A Iowa to make room for veteran Joe Nathan who will most likely fill Warren’s role alongside newly acquired Mike Montgomery.

Cubs fans took to Twitter and other social media outlets to voice their resentment of adding Chapman due to his domestic violence case that warranted a suspension earlier this year.

Anticipating such a response, Cubs owner Tom Ricketts spoke with Chapman about his domestic violence case before approving the trade.

“Obviously, we are aware of the circumstances surrounding Aroldis Chapman’s suspension earlier this season,” Ricketts said. ” We are also aware that he cooperated fully with the league investigation and takes responsibility for his actions.

“Today, prior to completing the trade, Theo, Jed and I spoke with Aroldis. I shared with him the high expectations we set for our players and staff both on and off the field. Aroldis indicated he is comfortable with meeting those expectations.

“Finally, my family, this team and Major League Baseball take the issue of domestic violence very seriously and support efforts to reduce domestic violence through education, awareness ,and intervention.”

The fact that Ricketts and Chapman needed to make statements after the trade begs the question did the Cubs pay too much for Chapman? Four players is a steep price for a rental, especially when one is a top-5 prospect in your organization.

Next: Cubs trade for Chapman comes with baggage

But, Chapman is a once in a generation talent who can limit an opponent’s ability to score. Since coming into the league in 2010, Chapman has thrown over 2000 pitches over 100 MPH, including the 101 fastest pitches of 2015.

Pairing Chapman with Pedro Strop and Hector Rondon gives the Cubs a formidable back-end of the bullpen even with Chapman’s lack of playoff experience. Chapman has zero postseason saves which may be cause for concern amongst some Cubs fans. His 2.01 ERA this year will certainly help a Cubs bullpen that has a 3.83 ERA combined.

Only the future will determine whether or not the Cubs made the right move in trading for Chapman. His presence in the bullpen certainly solidifies the Cubs championship aspirations, which in turn will boost their ability to sign free agents in years to come, regardless of Chapman’s future with the organization.