Trade Central: Chapman Goes To Cubs For Four Players

THE DEAL

After years and years of being buyers come the midsummer non-waiver trade deadline, the Yankees this year find their role reversed. And to start what could be a sizable selloff, Brian Cashman and Co. returned to a familiar trade partner: the Cubs. The teams have consummated two deals in the three prior seasons, including the acquisitions of Starlin Castro and Alfonso Soriano. This time it was the Cubs doing the buying, and they acquired lefthander Aroldis Chapman, arguably the best closer in the game. In return, the Yankees receive a haul of righthander Adam Warren (who returns from the Cubs after roughly half a season) and three prospects, led by shortstop Gleyber Torres.

The deal gives the Cubs a strong force at the back of their bullpen as they push toward October, and it helps the Yankees refurbish a farm system that currently rests toward the middle of the pack.

YANKEES ACQUIRE
Gleyber Torres, ss
Age: 19

In Torres, the Yankees are getting the Cubs’ top prospect, as ranked in this year’s Midseason Top 10. He also ranked No. 27 on this year’s Midseason Top 100 list. Torres is exactly the type of player teams covet—a young shortstop who can hit and hit for power. He also fits right in to the Yankees’ current covey of shortstops, including No. 1 prospect Jorge Mateo, as well as Tyler Wade, Wilkerman Garcia, Abiatal Avelino, Thairo Estrada, Hoy Jun Park and Kyle Holder splashed throughout the system.

At just 19 years old, Torres recovered from a rough April to hit .302/.379/.468 since then at high Class A Myrtle Beach with 18 doubles, eight home runs, 39 RBIs and 18 stolen bases. He began the season as the second-youngest player in the Carolina League behind only Frederick third baseman Jomar Reyes. He opened the season focused on hitting for more power instead of just letting it come naturally, and as a result got pull-happy and starting cheating on fastballs. Once he reverted to his former approach, he began using the whole field again and success returned. He got a $1.7 million bonus from the Cubs in 2013 when the team blew past its international bonus allotment.

He’s put in hard work with the Cubs’ defensive coaches over the past couple of years and has made himself into a reliable defender at shortstop with a chance to be a little more than that if he sticks at the position in the long-term.

Club	Class	AVG	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	OBP	SLG
Myrtle Beach (CAR)	HiA	.275	94	356	62	98	23	3	9	47	42	87	19	.359	.433

Adam Warren, rhp
Age: 28

For Warren, this deal represents a homecoming after an eight-month move into the Cubs’ system. He was part of the deal that brought infielder Starlin Castro to New York in the offseason, shipped to the Cubs along with infielder Brendan Ryan, but faltered with his new team. Developed by the Yankees after they drafted him out North Carolina in 2009, Warren rose to prominence with the Yankees last year as a valuable swingman who could start, go multiple innings in relief or work one inning as more of a traditional setup role.

With the Cubs this year, Warren was stuck in a relief role but had fallen out of favor and had been optioned to Triple-A twice this year in an effort to stretch him out into a starter’s role once again. With the Yankees, he’ll likely return to the swing role, or he could slot in to the seventh inning with Dellin Betances moving to the eighth inning and Andrew Miller shifting into Chapman’s vacated closer’s role. His starting experience also gives the Yankees the option of sliding him into the rotation if they decide to deal one of their current rotation pieces such as Nathan Eovaldi, Michael Pineda or Ivan Nova.

Club	Class	W	L	ERA	G	GS	CG	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO
Iowa (PCL)	AAA	0	0	4.15	2	2	0	0	9	6	4	4	1	4	6
Chicago (NL)	MAJ	3	2	5.14	29	1	0	0	35	30	24	20	7	19	27

Billy McKinney, of
Age: 21

A little bit of McKinney’s prospect shine has come off over the past two seasons with Double-A Tennessee, but as a 21-year-old there’s still plenty to like. He was originally drafted by the A’s in 2013, then was swapped to the Cubs along with Addison Russell as part of the freight for righthanders Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel as the A’s made a push toward a deep run into October that never materialized. McKinney’s value is in his bat, but right now he looks like his profile is stuck somewhere between center field and a corner.

He lacks the defensive chops to be a natural center fielder and the impact power to fit in either right or left field. He’s also had issues hitting lefthanded pitching over the last two seasons. Scouts who have seen him, however, say there’s more raw power than what shows up in games. He’s got feel to hit, though, and is currently sporting an on-base percentage of .355 despite his struggles.

Club	Class	AVG	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	OBP	SLG
Tennessee (SL)	AA	.252	88	298	37	75	12	3	1	31	47	68	2	.355	.322

Rashad Crawford, of
Age: 22

Crawford is exactly the type of a player a team should target as the final player in a multi-player deal. An 11th-rounder out of Jonesboro, Ga. in 2012, Crawford has climbed very slowly through the minors, not reaching full-season ball until 2015.

Crawford was a multi-sport star in high school whose hitting needed lot of work. He tried switch-hitting but now is exclusively a lefthanded hitter. He’s actually hit lefthanders better than righthanders this season.

That slow track means that Crawford will be Rule 5 Draft-eligible at the end of the season, which is a factor in letting him go in a trade. Crawford is an excellent defensive center fielder with plus-plus speed. He’s made progress as a hitter, but there are still significant questions over whether he will ever hit enough to be a regular. His more-likely role at the big league level would be as a backup outfielder, but his tools give him a chance to be more than that.

Club (League)	Class	AVG	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	OBP	SLG
Myrtle Beach (CAR)	HiA	.252	83	329	59	83	18	8	3	30	33	73	22	.324	.383

CUBS ACQUIRE
Aroldis Chapman, lhp
Age: 28

The Cubs, of course, land one of the premier closers in the game, albeit one with a recently checkered past. After the Yankees acquired Chapman this winter from the Reds for a four-player package that included righthanders Caleb Cotham and Rookie Davis and infielders Eric Jagielo and Tony Renda, he was then suspended for the first 30 games of the season as the result of the league’s investigation into a domestic violence incident that involved a firearm.

Chapman returned in May and looked no worse for wear. He’s thrown his typical triple-digit heat and coupled it with his usual mix of a wicked slider and occasional changeup. The lefthander, who holds the record for the fastest pitch in history, has touched as high as 105 mph this year in his 31 appearances. In his brief time in New York, Chapman rang up 20 saves while working as the final arrow in the Yankees’ bullpen quiver of Dellin Betances, Andrew Miller and Chapman.

For the Cubs, Chapman might represent the final piece of the puzzle. Their offense has been among the game’s best, ranking fourth in runs scored. Their pitching, too, has been solid thanks to a rotation fronted by Jon Lester and Jake Arrieta and buoyed by veteran John Lackey and promising youngster Kyle Hendricks. Now, Chapman gives them a hammer to finish off the back ends of games and allows them to push current closer Hector Rondon into a setup role. They also recently bolstered their bullpen by adding Marinrs lefty Mike Montgomery, who has seen his velocity tick upward after a move into a relief role.