The Yankees were made an offer they could not refuse. So they didn’t.
The trade that brought Aroldis Chapman was not ideal. It did not bring the young, controllable starter the Yankees have most craved. It did bring a guy facing a suspension in 2016 over domestic abuse and gun allegations.
But as imperfect as all that might be, the Yankees were presented a deal they felt they could not ignore. So they held their noses and completed the transaction with the Reds because:
1. It forms one of the greatest power endgames in major league history — Chapman, Andrew Miller and Dellin Betances, who finished 1-2-3 in strikeouts per nine innings in 2015.
2. That endgame should offer some protection for a fragile rotation.
3. At a time when the Yankees are zealously protecting the best of their farm system, the Reds wanted to get rid of Chapman so badly they took an underwhelming four-player package.
4. The Yankees got to change an offseason narrative in which they were being criticized for not spending or going after win-now players.
Chapman is a win-now player. But he will bring the Yankees a different type of criticism. That the Yankees got to buy low on the game’s most overpowering reliever accentuates why he is so toxic right now.
The Yankees have been asking the Reds about Chapman for years, notably at last July’s trade deadline and earlier this offseason. So they knew what Cincinnati wanted in return — a package with Aaron Judge or Luis Severino or Gary Sanchez, prospects the Yanks have deemed untouchable as they try to turn over to a younger roster.
Then during the Winter Meetings, the Reds reached an agreement to send Chapman to the Dodgers before a report surfaced of an October incident in the lefty’s Miami home. Chapman was not arrested nor charged, but did admit firing eight shots in his garage. His girlfriend alleged Chapman choked her following a dispute.
There has never been a good time to assault a woman or fire a gun, but those have become particular touchstones. Los Angeles backed out of the deal just days after the mass shooting in nearby San Bernardino. Chapman became viewed as one of the most untradeable players in the sport.
Then, in the last week, Brandon Phillips invoked his no-trade rights to block a deal to Washington. That kept his $26 million on the Reds’ books. The Reds needed a way to move money — Chapman is due roughly $15 million in 2016.
So Cincinnati in Brian Cashman’s word “modified” its asking price, getting a deal fronted by Rookie Davis (who projects as a back-end starter) and Eric Jagielo (a hitter whom few in the industry see sticking at third base) plus Caleb Cotham and Tony Renda. In July that would not have rented Chapman for a week. On the Monday before New Year’s, it got Chapman. So the Yankees got the guy who is the all-time leader in strikeouts per nine innings (he is at 15.4, Betances is fourth at 13.8 and Miller fifth at 13.1), but also someone who could invoke furor with his presence, especially among women’s groups.
“I approved the trade after significant thought and research, as I do with any significant trade,” Hal Steinbrenner wrote in an email.
The Steinbrenner family lives in Florida and has a long, positive relationship with law enforcement, and I suspect they have received an inkling about how the case is shaping up. Former U.S. assistant district attorney Bryan Seeley heads up MLB’s investigative wing and is digging into the matter, as well.
MLB has a new domestic abuse policy, and Rob Manfred is going to want to show it has teeth with Chapman, Yasiel Puig and Jose Reyes all under investigation. But what happens if charges never come against Chapman or are milder than initially anticipated? There still likely will be a suspension, but probably more in the 10-25-game range than, say, the 40-plus-games that would cost Chapman the service time to be a free agent next offseason.
At some point Chapman is going to pitch in the majors in 2016 and — if he performs as he did with the Reds — give the Yankees the greatest 100 mph force in the game. The Yanks have the maneuverability still to trade Miller or even Chapman before or during the 2016 campaign. If Chapman stays, the Yanks could give him the qualifying offer after next season and get draft-pick compensation.
The Yanks’ late-game pen was the driving force that got them to the wild card last season, and now sets up as even a greater force despite the trades of Justin Wilson and Adam Warren. Betances and Miller were pushed hard last year, and now they have someone to diminish their burden. Just about every starter has a medical red flag. This late-game trio can allow Joe Girardi to limit starter innings.
The Dodgers believed Chapman would accept any role, but the likelihood is he will do the majority of the Yankee closing with Miller and Betances setting up. This could be The Nastier Boys. That potential and the bargain asking price moved the Yanks to tolerate what is coming legally and more with Chapman.
They simply were made an offer they felt they could not refuse.