With executives from all 30 Major League Baseball teams in San Diego for the winter meetings, eye-opening names were bound to be discussed. The Cincinnati Reds have apparently decided to stoke the hot-stove fires by adding closer Aroldis Chapman to their list of available talent.
Joe Frisaro and Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reported Tuesday that teams have been informed Cincinnati will listen to offers for the All-Star flamethrower, with the Miami Marlins being floated as a possible destination.
Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reports there is heavy interest in Chapman, and teammate Johnny Cueto:
Although GM Walt Jocketty was quick to say the Reds aren't interesting in trading either player according to C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer:
Signed in 2010 following his defection from Cuba, Chapman has become one of the most dominant relievers in baseball. The lefty has a career 2.32 ERA and 0.98 WHIP, earning 113 saves across his five big league seasons (four full seasons).
He has made the National League All-Star team each of the last three seasons and in 2014 struck out 106 batters in 54 innings. His 17.67 strikeouts per nine innings set a MLB record for the best in a single season for players with a minimum of 40 innings pitched, per Jayson Stark of ESPN.com.
Should the Reds truly entertain moving Chapman, they'll have no shortage of takers. He's recorded 112 of his 113 career saves over this three-year span and is still in the midst of his prime at age 26. Only Atlanta's Craig Kimbrel and Kansas City's Greg Holland have had a better wins above replacement among relievers since Chapman took over as closer, per Stark.
"To me, this is the best season I've had so far in the small time that I've been here in the big leagues," Chapman told Kevin Goheen of Fox Sports Ohio. "With the situation I had, I was able to come back and, up to right now, I don't believe that I can ask for more."
Chapman cannot become a free agent until after the 2016 MLB season, though he's second-year arbitration eligible this winter. Trading Chapman would be an indicator of a full-scale rebuild in Cincinnati rather than an indictment on its closer. The Reds went a disappointing 76-86 in 2014 and are rumored to be listening to offers for nearly all their top talent.
Outfielder Jay Bruce in particular has come up in numerous rumors, per Tom Gatto of Sporting News. But while the Reds would be selling low on Bruce, they'd be doing the exact opposite with Chapman. History says the shelf life on elite relievers is typically low. They're subject to higher variance than perhaps any other position.
Chapman has the stuff to be an anomaly, but the prospect haul Cincinnati would potentially receive in return might make a deal worthwhile. At the very least this is a situation to monitor the rest of the offseason as the Reds assess how to handle their future.
Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com
- Login to post comments