The Cincinnati Reds have taken another step toward rebuilding their franchise for the future by trading closer Aroldis Chapman to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports first reported the deal, noting the Dodgers would send two prospects to the Reds in return for Chapman. Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reported that Corey Seager, Julio Urias and Jose De Leon are not among the package for the closer.
Chapman's name has been floated as possibly being available dating back to last offseason, when Rosenthal reported the Reds were looking to cut approximately $17 million from the payroll.
As the trade deadline approached last summer, ESPN's Buster Olney reported that the Reds were "examining offers" for Chapman while adding it wasn't clear if the team was inclined to push through on a deal.
Nothing ever came of those rumors, but Chapman was the one big domino Reds general manager Walt Jocketty had left to play after dealing Johnny Cueto to Kansas City and Mike Leake to San Francisco last July.
At the general manager meetings in November, Rosenthal wrote the Reds were "finally" serious about their willingness to trade Chapman, and he relayed an enlightening quote from Jocketty about where the franchise stands heading into 2016.
"We still wanted to be somewhat protective of our club last year," Jocketty said. "We had certain guys we just didn't want to move. We started at the deadline knowing that we would gear up—'16 would be a transition year and in '17 and '18, we think we could be stronger and more competitive."
Chapman has just one more year of team control before becoming a free agent, so Los Angeles is getting a rental in this deal.
However, that one season will probably come at a steep financial cost, as Tim Dierkes of MLBTradeRumors.com estimated Chapman can earn $12.9 million in his final season of arbitration.
While that is an expensive price tag for a reliever, Chapman is also one of the few closers who can completely transform a bullpen.
He has been as dominant as any reliever since making his MLB debut in 2010. The flame-throwing left-hander posted a 2.17 ERA with 546 strikeouts in 319 innings in his first six seasons.
The 27-year-old was more erratic in 2015 than in previous years, with a walk rate of 4.5 per nine innings, but the stuff remains just as dominant, as evidenced by the nearly 16 strikeouts per nine innings and 1.63 ERA.
The trade sets up an interesting situation in the back of the Dodgers bullpen. Kenley Jansen was solid in the role last year, finishing 2-1 with 36 saves and posting a 2.41 ERA, 0.78 WHIP and 80 strikeouts in 52.1 innings pitched. But with Chapman in town, the Dodgers would likely move Jansen to the setup role.
According to Rosenthal, though, "players who know Jansen do not believe he would react well if he lost closer’s job with Dodgers set to acquire Chapman." However, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported the team's plan is to keep both players and "perhaps let both close" depending on the situation.
Upsetting the balance of a bullpen can be a risky game to play. The Washington Nationals, for example, acquired Jonathan Papelbon last year, moving Drew Storen to the setup role after he saved 29 of his first 31 opportunities that season. Storen was never pleased with the role, and his numbers nosedived down the stretch.
That may not be the case with Jansen, but it already sounds as though the reliever will balk at a move to the setup role. Chapman is a dynamic talent and an excellent addition, but his arrival in Los Angeles could carry collateral damage depending on Jansen's response.
Of course, elite relievers, especially closers, with the kind of video game numbers Chapman has posted throughout his career are always in demand because teams understand the value of bullpen help late in the season more than ever.
As long as Chapman stays healthy—which hasn't been a problem to this point in his career, save for the freak accident when he was hit in the face by a comebacker in spring training last year—he's a dynamic talent who has excelled in a role that most teams struggle to find an answer for.
Stats and contract info via Baseball-Reference.com
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