What Will the Yankees Bullpen Look Like Without Aroldis Chapman?

When the Yankees acquired Aroldis Chapman in a trade with the Cincinnati Reds last December, it seemed like the rich were getting richer.

The Bronx Bombers already had one of the most dominant bullpens in Major League Baseball last season. Dellin Betances handled the eighth inning duties and Andrew Miller shut the door in the ninth.

Adding Chapman to an already deep bullpen was seemingly unfair to the rest of the league. How was any team supposed to navigate through all three hard throwers?

But, after Chapman was suspended 30 games by commissioner Rob Manfred Tuesday, the rest of the MLB won’t have to worry about facing New York’s talented trio of flamethrowers until May.

Related Story: Aroldis Chapman Suspended 30 Games by MLB

With Chapman out to begin the season, the Yankees are going to have to find a way to traverse through the late innings of games without their 28-year-old closer.

The most immediate change will be finding a replacement for Chapman in the closer’s role.

After winning the American League Reliever of the Year Award last season, Miller is the obvious choice to start 2016 as the Yankees closer.

Last season, the lanky left-hander posted 36 saves and 100 strikeouts in 61.2 innings of work. Not only did Miller look comfortable in his first season as a full-time closer, he looked in complete control. The 30-year-old has proven he can handle the pressure of closing out games.

Miller’s move back to the ninth inning means the eighth inning would once again belong to Betances.

The 6-foot-8 hurler struck out 131 batters last season and even notched nine saves while Miller was injured. Armed with a blazing fastball and filthy off-speed offerings, Betances, a two-time All-Star, has already made a name for himself as one of baseball’s elite setup men.

Betances and Miller shouldn’t have any problem picking up the slack for Chapman while he serves his suspension. However, getting the ball to either of them could be a problem.

Last season, Justin Wilson proved to be the perfect bridge to Betances and Miller. The 28-year-old lefty had 66 strikeouts in 2015, predominantly pitching in the seventh inning.

But, Wilson is now a member of the Detroit Tigers.

As a result, the Yankees will have to find someone to pitch in the seventh inning and hold the lead for Betances and Miller.

James Pazos, Chasen Shreve, Nick Rumbelow, Nick Goody, Jacob Lindgren and Branden Pinder are all potential options for the Yankees to utilize in the seventh inning. Even Bryan Mitchell or Ivan Nova could see action in the seventh, depending on the health of the team’s starting rotation.

Stability on the mound in the seventh inning could prove to be elusive for the Bronx Bombers as the season begins. This lack of stability could cause the Yankees to rely on Betances and Miller very heavily.

Without a solidified option in the seventh inning, Yankees fans should expect to see Betances coming in to get five or six outs on a regular basis. Miller may even be called upon to convert four-out and five-out saves as well.

The Yankees must be careful not to overuse Betances and Miller early in the season. Their arms need to be fresh in August and September, or it will be unlikely to see the Yankees play in October.

Chapman’s suspension definitely hurts the Yankees. But, the team’s bullpen depth does give them a good chance to win games without him.

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The success of the bullpen without Chapman will undoubtedly be one of the biggest early storylines of the 2016 season.