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Yankees: Ranking the Best Moves of the 2015-2016 Offseason

By Evan Halpine-Berger

Sep 2, 2016; Baltimore, MD, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Chad Green (57) pitches during the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 2, 2016; Baltimore, MD, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Chad Green (57) pitches during the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jul 22, 2016; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman (54) laughs during a break in action with teammate second baseman Starlin Castro (14) during the ninth inning of an inter-league baseball game against the San Francisco Giants at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 22, 2016; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman (54) laughs during a break in action with teammate second baseman Starlin Castro (14) during the ninth inning of an inter-league baseball game against the San Francisco Giants at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports /

Acquiring Aroldis Chapman from the Cinncinnati Reds for…Basically Nothing?

While the Cessa and Green trade is probably my personal favorite, the shrewd evil genius of acquiring Aroldis Chapman last winter when no one would touch him and then flipping him just a few months later for one of the most exciting young talents in baseball as well as three quality secondary pieces is just astounding. It is a historically great trade for Cashman and the Yankees.

Aroldis Chapman’s on-field contributions to the 2016 Yankees, while valuable, are kind of beside the point. The real calculus here is that the front office turned Eric Jagielo, Rookie Davis, Tony Renda, and Caleb Cotham.

Jagielo, Renda, and Cotham were abysmal this year for their new organization, and even Davis, who now looks like the only future MLB contributor that Cincinnati got in return for Chapman, got completely lit up when after being promoted to Triple-A. At best, Davis looks like an OK back of the rotation starter, the kind of guy the Yankees have in spades in the upper minors.

Next: Options at DH if the Yankees Trade McCann

In a very real sense, Cashman traded Davis for Gleyber Torres, Billy McKinney, Adam Warren, and Rashad Crawford. MLB Pipeline ranks Torres as the 17th prospect in baseball, and his performance in the Arizona Fall League suggests he might be closer to big league ready than anyone could have thought. Honestly I probably would have traded Davis for three of those four guys straight up (sorry Rashad), so getting all four is just insane.

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