Reaction to the Aroldis Chapman deal

On Monday, the Yankees finally decided to shift into 'seller' mode as they shipped off top closer Aroldis Chapman to the Chicago Cubs. This move marked a significant change in the franchise's direction, as they are expected to continue shipping off their veteran players and soon-to-be free agents. 

Chapman, originally acquired from the Cincinnati Reds in December 2015, was suspended for the first 30 games of the 2016 season due to an off-season personal conduct policy violation. In other words, he was allegedly involved in a domestic incident with his girlfriend, an event that the Yankees knew about before bringing him in. 

In this article, we will take a look at the Chapman deal, breaking down who exactly the Yankees managed to snag in this deal, and how the players may impact the team going forward. 

Let's start off and take a look at the headliner of the trade. 

Chicago Cubs Acquire:

P Aroldis Chapman

As seen at the top of this article, the 28 year old Chapman was acquired by the Yankees from the Reds almost eight months ago. The four players that Cincinnati netted, Eric Jagielo, Rookie Davis, Caleb Cotham, and Tony Renda, have proved to be marginal prospects at best, thus making it look like a fantastic deal for New York. Chapman performed exceptionally well for the Yankees in the first half of the year, posting a 2.01 ERA in 31 relief outings. In those appearances, he also managed to obtain 20 saves while putting up a 2.3 BB/9 and 12.6 K/9 ratio. 

The 4-time All-Star was a popular trade figure because he is a free agent at season's end, which forced the Yankees hand. The Cubs will slide him right into the closer position, although their current closer Hector Rendon has done quite well. As for as his future with Chicago, it is completely up in the air as he did not sign an extension to stay with the organization past 2016. 

What makes this interesting is that Chapman could conceivably had made an under-the-table agreement to return to the Yankees after the year. The Yankees bullpen, headlined by Andrew Miller and Dellin Betances, is likely already well-equipped for the short-term future, so bringing Chapman back wouldn't be a necessity, however. With Chapman expected to get a very lucrative deal in the off-season, and the Yankees having glaring needs elsewhere, perhaps the two sides are split up for good. 

New York Yankees Acquire:

SS Gleyber Torres

Torres was the centerpiece of the Yankees side of things, so he will come with lofty expectations. He was originally signed by the Cubs as an international free agent three years ago, and quickly rose through the ranks. The 19 year old shortstop was ranked as the 27th best prospect in the league coming into 2016 by Baseball America. 

In 2016, he has seen time with the Cubs Single-A affiliate, hitting .275/.359/.433 with 9 HR and 47 RBI in 94 games. Additionally, he has shown another strong element to his game, swiping 19 bases. 

Some may ask why the Yankees would go after a shortstop when they are already well-stocked with young infielders such as Starlin Castro, Didi Gregorius, Jorge Mateo, etc. The consensus with Torres is that he may eventually move off the position, and transition to either second base or third base. Standing at 6"1' 175 lbs, he still has room to grow, and may find himself in the Bronx in a few years. 

P Adam Warren

Does the name sound familiar? It should. 

Warren had been with the Yankee organization from 2009-2015 after being drafted as a 4th round pick in the 2009 MLB Draft. During his time with the Yankees, he compiled a 13-15 record while pitching mainly out of the bullpen. From 2012-2015, he made 147 appearances as a Yankee, 20 of which were starts, and posted a combined 3.39 ERA. He proved his versatility in 2015 when he started 17 games for New York, and making 26 other appearances out of the bullpen. 

He was sent to Chicago this past off-season in a deal that brought 2B Starlin Castro to the Bronx, so his time out of New York was certainly short lived. With Chicago, he had battled occasional injury issues, and put up an overall ERA of 5.91 ERA in 29 games. His BB/9 rate spiked up to 4.8, and he eventually found himself being demoted to Triple-A. 

Warren is expected to serve as a member of the Yankees rotation after the deadline if they choose to deal Ivan Nova, Nathan Eovaldi, or any other current representative. In the meantime, he will report to the bullpen, giving Joe Girardi a solid, experienced arm that can eat innings if needed. 

It is also important to note that Warren is not eligible for free agency until 2019, so the Yankees will likely take advantage of that team control moving forward. 

OF Billy McKinney

McKinney, a 21 year old outfielder, has now been involved in two blockbuster trades in his early career. As the 24th Overall Selection in the 2013 MLB Draft, he was traded by Oakland to Chicago the following year in a deal for Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel. The headliner of that prospect package was Addision Russell, but many projected McKinney to have a high ceiling as well. 

He has been consistently regarded as a Top 100 Prospect, and came into 2016 coming off arguably his best season as a professional. In 2015, he hit .300/.371/.454 in 106 games for Chicago's Single-A and Double-A affiliates. His 2016 numbers have taken a dip, however, as he hit just .252/.355/.322 in 88 games for the Tennessee Smokies (Double-A).

At the age of 21, some claimed that he could have used more seasoning in Single-A, but he will report directly to the Yankees Double-A team, the Trenton Thunder. It is expected that the Yankees move things slowly with McKinney since his tools haven't completely come to surface just yet. 

OF Rashad Crawford

Finally, the 22 year old Crawford has been regarded as the least important part of this deal, but don't let that fool you, he still has upside. As an 11th round pick in the 2012 Draft, he has steadily climbed the ranks of the Cubs farm system, and found himself in High-A this year. In 83 games, he hit .255/.327/.386 with 3 HR and 30 RBI. Also, he manage to swipe 22 bags while only getting caught 6 times. 

It appears that speed is the biggest asset for Crawford, and the Yankees are definitely smart for taking a flier on him. 

Although he was not part of the Cubs Top 30 Prospect List, Baseball America's J.J. Cooper tweeted that Crawford represents the "perfect 4th player" for the Yankees in this deal, offering plus speed and plus defense.