The Chicago Cubs were already on the short list of MLB heavyweights.
Now that they’ve acquired flamethrowing closer Aroldis Chapman, they’ll tip the scales.
The Cubs official twitter account confirmed the deal:
Gleyber Torres, a 19-year-old shortstop, is the Cubs’ No. 2 prospect and OF Billy McKinney is ranked 8th, according to Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter. Reliever Adam Warren has a 5.91 ERA in 29 appearances for the Cubs this year after spending the last four seasons with the Yankees. Rashad Crawford is a 22-year-old outfielder currently slashing .255/.327/.386 in High-A.
For now, though, let’s focus on what this deal would mean for the Cubs.
Yes, Chapman is merely a rental, as he’s set to hit free agency after the season. And yes, he opened the 2016 campaign by serving a 30-game domestic violence suspension.
But with his triple-digit heat, the Cuban southpaw sits in the upper echelon of big league closers. His arrival on the North Side would instantly transform Chicago’s bullpen.
The Cubs have already been hard at work on that front, having acquired left-hander Mike Montgomery from the Seattle Mariners on July 20. They also activated 41-year-old Joe Nathan on Sunday and watched him pick up a win against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Those are incremental moves, though, the equivalent of rearranging the silverware drawer. A Chapman acquisition would be a full kitchen remodel, replete with granite countertops.
Even after serving his suspension, Chapman has more saves (20) than any member of the current Cubs bullpen. His 12.64 strikeouts per nine innings would outpace any current Chicago reliever.
Add right-handers Hector Rondon (1.95 ERA, 48 SO, 37 IP) and Pedro Strop (2.87 ERA, 49 SO, 37.2 IP) and the Cubs could replicate the shutdown late-inning formula that won the Kansas City Royals an AL pennant in 2014 and a title in 2015, as Mark Schanowski of CSN Chicago noted:
That wouldn’t be the Cubs’ only strength, though. Their offense, laden with burgeoning young bats from Kris Bryant to Anthony Rizzo, ranks among the game’s top five in runs scored and OPS. Their starting rotation, fronted by reigning NL Cy Young Award-winner Jake Arrieta and veteran left-hander Jon Lester, leads MLB in ERA. And their plus-150 run differential remains the toast of MLB.
Chapman, though, could be that missing piece. A ninth-inning arm that singes radar guns and instills fear in the hearts of opposing hitters isn’t a prerequisite for October glory, but it doesn’t hurt.
The St. Louis Cardinals, the Cubs’ archrivals and the team currently closest to Chicago in the NL Central, also own an .053 average against Chapman in their present incarnation. Chapman spent the bulk of his career with the Cincinnati Reds, so he’s intimately familiar with the division.
There are plenty of reasons why he makes sense for the Cubs, assuming they’re going all-in on a curse-busting run. Which, considering where they sit, they clearly should be.
On July 19, Chicago president of baseball operations Theo Epstein suggested on 670 AM The Score’s Spiegel and Goff Show (via WGNTV.com) that the Cubs were prepared to listen to any and all offers (with certain qualifications):
There are core, foundational guys that we believe in their talent, we believe in their make-up, we believe in everything they’ve done to get us to this point, and everything they’re going to do for us over the next many years. We’d be really foolish to be shortsighted and break that up just so we could incrementally improve our chances of winning the whole thing this year. We’re going to do everything we can to win this year, but as [general manager] Jed [Hoyer] said earlier, we want to get there every year. We want to do it with guys you believe in, guys we believe in and we’re lucky enough to have that group. So, to break it up, we’d be really foolish.
Fair enough. That’s why Epstein was the architect of the Boston Red Sox‘s long-awaited parade, and it’s why he has the Cubs on the doorstep of history.
But with the even-year San Francisco Giants, resurgent Washington Nationals and pesky contenders such as the Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates, Miami Marlins and New York Mets lurking, Chicago can’t rest on its early results.
The Cubs have an opportunity to separate themselves from the pack. To play the unfamiliar role of favorites. To gild the lily.
They should seize it, whatever the cost.
All statistics current as of July 24 and courtesy of MLB.com and ESPN.com unless otherwise noted.
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