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Yankees: 3 Aroldis Chapman trades Brian Cashman needs to explore immediately

By Thomas Carannante |
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 08: Aroldis Chapman #54 of the New York Yankees walks off the field after retiring the side against the Tampa Bay Rays during the eighth inning in Game Four of the American League Division Series at PETCO Park on October 08, 2020 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 08: Aroldis Chapman #54 of the New York Yankees walks off the field after retiring the side against the Tampa Bay Rays during the eighth inning in Game Four of the American League Division Series at PETCO Park on October 08, 2020 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
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The Yankees need to trade Aroldis Chapman. End of story.

Is Aroldis Chapman a good closer? Absolutely. But at $16 million per season the investment is no longer worthwhile because he’s now blown three postseason games for the New York Yankees, two of which have sent the team home. His only dominant showing for the Bombers was his ALDS performance against the Cleveland Indians in 2017. That’s it.

New York has another closer in Zack Britton to get by at the moment, but there’s seriously no longer a need for Chapman. Get his salary off the books, invest the money elsewhere, and get your hands on some more cost-effective bullpen arms. It’s very possible. So many other successful MLB teams out there are able to do it.

Look, we know we’re never going to see another Mariano Rivera again, but we also don’t need a guy who has given up two series-clinching hits for the opposing team the last two years in addition to a huge blown Game 2 in the 2017 ALCS.

So, it’s time. Trade the man and start anew. Here are three teams Yankees general manager Brian Cashman needs to explore deals with for the left-hander this offseason.

*A quick note, however: Chapman has a full no-trade clause after signing his latest deal with the Yankees last offseason. He’ll have to approve any of these trades, so the Yankees simply cannot offload him without his permission. Then again, we’ve seen players with full no-trade clauses get dealt before, especially when the relationship was souring.*

Closer Taylor Rogers #55 of the Minnesota Twins (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
Closer Taylor Rogers #55 of the Minnesota Twins (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /

3. Minnesota Twins

The Twins could use Aroldis Chapman and the Yankees can get something solid in return.

Nobody really knows what to expect to get in return for one of the highest-paid closers in the league, but Chapman is arguably the most consistent even though he’s failed to get the job done in big moments for the Yankees. Maybe they’ll have to eat salary, maybe not. It’s a big question mark right now.

Trading him in the AL probably isn’t what Cashman wants to do, but why not make a deal with the most inept postseason team in modern history? The Twins need help in the bullpen and Chapman would undoubtedly improve their prospects in the AL Central, where they’ll need help holding off the high-powered White Sox for years to come.

Minnesota had 10 blown saves in 2020, which was among the worst in the league. Though the Twins’ bullpen had a 3.62 ERA (sixth in MLB), they recorded 12 losses (20th) and allowed a .242 batting average against (19th).

The Twins are projected to have the 21st-ranked payroll in the MLB at $60 million. Perhaps a clean swap of Chapman and his entire salary for a top pitching prospect (Matt Canterino?) and someone else could get this deal done. We don’t know, but that’s worth a shot.

Closer Hector Neris #50 of the Philadelphia Phillies (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
Closer Hector Neris #50 of the Philadelphia Phillies (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /

2. Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies have the worst bullpen in the league and the Yankees can capitalize on that.

This was obvious. The Philadelphia Phillies’ bullpen was quite literally the reason this team failed to reach the postseason. On top of that, they’ll have issues this offseason retaining guys like Didi Gregorious and JT Realmuto, but adding a guy like Chapman would do wonders in providing stability at the back end of their bullpen.

Their 7.06 ERA, 1.79 WHIP, and .315 batting average against all ranked last in Major League Baseball. Yup, one of the worst bullpens in history, though the shortened 60-game season did them no favors.

Whatever the case, Chapman could be reunited with former manager Joe Girardi and help at least start providing an identity for the Phillies relief corps. To be honest, we have no clue what a return would look like here. Philadelphia took a huge blow when they sent Sixto Sanchez to Miami for Realmuto, since they could’ve really used a starter of that caliber. On top of that, if they have any top pitching prospects, they’re going to need to keep every last one of them.

Maybe the Yankees just look way ahead to the future and ask for a lefty like Kyle Young and try and get David Robertson back? The former Yankee has a $12 million team option for 2021 (the Phillies can agree to pick that up and then trade him), which would be $3 million cheaper than Chapman and help further bolster New York’s bullpen. Like we said, it’s hard to diagnose what Chapman could fetch in return since we don’t think the Yankees have a ton of leverage, but this is at least a reasonable starting point. If you think you can go higher, then by all means, but we’re not getting greedy here, as you can tell with our conservative prediction with the Twins.

Get rid of Chapman, acquired immediate bullpen help, save some money, and get a pitching prospect who will be ready in a couple of years.

Kenley Jansen #74 of the Los Angeles Dodgers (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
Kenley Jansen #74 of the Los Angeles Dodgers (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

1. Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers will likely need a legitimate closer after Kenley Jansen’s demise. The Yankees can help.

The Dodgers have a lot of money coming off the books the next couple of offseasons, so adding another high-priced reliever wouldn’t be that prohibitive. Kenley Jansen is making $20 million, but it’s clear he can no longer be the team’s closer. Bring in Chapman, move Jansen down, and sport one of the best 7-8-9-inning punches in the MLB.

Joe Kelly hasn’t exactly been working out for LA, so maybe he goes back to New York in this deal along with someone like pitching prospect Brett de Geus? Maybe that could work? Getting rid of Kelly’s salary (nearly $9 million) could help, especially after the addition of Brusdar Graterol has proven to be a success.

This Dodgers team is built for both the immediate future and the long term, but their window with Clayton Kershaw continues to slowly close. He’ll be a free agent after 2021 and it’s unclear if he’ll be back for much longer after that. LA has a great outlook with their starting rotation moving forward and their lineup is unstoppable. The bullpen is the only question mark.

Adding Chapman, who owns a 2.54 ERA during his tenure with the Yankees, would really help the Dodgers and manager Dave Roberts. Their decision-making late in close games would be solved and there wouldn’t have to be any more bouncing around to determine who is best fit to shut the door.

Chapman can still be that guy for a few more years and his contract lines up perfectly with the Dodgers’ premium championship window. A couple extra bucks for LA won’t hurt a franchise that prints money.

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