4:57pm: The Dodgers are “making progress” on a deal involving Chapman, Rosenthal tweets.
4:13pm: The Dodgers are discussing a trade with the Reds that would bring Chapman to Los Angeles for prospects, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets. Obviously, the prospect package likely required to land Chapman would be considerable. The Dodgers do, of course, already have a terrific closer in Kenley Jansen, but having too many great ninth-inning options is an excellent problem to have. A dominant bullpen would also likely help ameliorate worries the Dodgers might have about their rotation, which just lost Zack Greinke to the Diamondbacks. As Rosenthal tweets, there’s also the possibility that the Dodgers could trade either Chapman or Jansen if they do trade for Chapman.
4:04pm: Reds GM Dick Williams expects that his club will deal star closer Aroldis Chapman, CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman tweets. There is, obviously, plenty of interest in Chapman, with potential trade partners including the Nationals, Astros and Diamondbacks as well as the Dodgers.
That the Reds plan to deal Chapman perhaps comes as little surprise — Chapman is eligible for free agency after the season, the Reds don’t appear likely to contend in 2016, and he ought to fetch a very significant return. The 27-year-old flamethrower was brilliant as usual in 2015, posting a 1.63 ERA, 4.5 BB/9 and a ridiculous 15.7 K/9 in 66 1/3 innings while winning his fourth straight All-Star berth in 2015. He also posted an average fastball velocity of 99.5 MPH that came in 1.4 MPH faster than the closest pitcher (the Royals’ Kelvin Herrera).
They are asking WAY too much. Reported that they asked Boston for more than Kimbrel package. They will be forced to keep him by alienating all potential buyers. Embarrassing org.
He’s one of the best closers of all time and still young.
Hes worth a decent return for 1 year because he’s cheap and just dominant.
Okay, but it’s generally considered that the Sox gave up WAY too much to get Kimbrel. Chapman is under control for 2 fewer years and is more expensive. Kimbrel has also been better over the last 3 years- although Chapman was better last year.
If the Reds are asking for more than the Kimbrel haul, they are nuts.
I think 1 top 50 prospect for him should be enough, but might need another prospect to get it done.
If the Reds are offered a top 50 for him, they should take it and never look back.
You guys are nuts. If all they are going to get is 1 top 50, they will just keep him and QO him. They will more than likely have a bad record, so they will get a pick somewhere around 20-25 on a QO pick up. That’s easily worth a top 50 guy.
A sandwich round pick is worth a Top 50 prospect? Uh, no.
Check your facts. Where do you think a lot of top 50 guys were drafted? Not top 10 guys, but top 50. Besides, the Reds pick would be the first sandwich round pick which is akin to a mid-to-late first round pick.
Again- nobody in their right mind would trade a QO pick for a top 50 prospect!
Who said I was in my right mind?
Who said you were a GM?
Um, no one said I was in this conversation. So what is your point exactly?
A single pick between 20-25 likely never turns into a top 50 prospect.
Tell that to Mike Trout, Randal Grichuk, Hunter Harvey, Marcus Stroman, Kolten Wong, Christian Yelich, Gary Brown, and Joe Ross. And that’s just since 2009.
Thats 7 guys in 6 years. You’re not helping your case.
Okay I didn’t count 14 since they are so new, but if you want to include them fine. But you didn’t see that there were 8 names there either. That is still approximately 20% of those picks that became top 50 prospects. That is 1 out of every 5 picks which is far more than “a single pick between 20-25 likely never turns into a top 50 prospect.” I don’t need to help my case. The numbers do that for me.
So you’d rather have a 20% chance than a 100% chance?
Not remotely what I said, but I guess you see what you want.
You guys are nuts. If all they are going to get is 1 top 50, they will just keep him and QO him. They will more than likely have a bad record, so they will get a pick somewhere around 20-25 on a QO pick up. That’s easily worth a top 50 guy.
You think a qo pick which has 20% chance of being a top 50, plus 1 season of production from chapman for what is likely an awful team is “easily worth” a prospect that is already a top 50, thus a 100% chance of being one.
I stand by my original statement. No way a single top 50 guy gets Chapman. BTW, when you quote someone, use quotation marks otherwise it is plagiarism.
Except I’m not passing them off as my own ideas…i’m refuting them. Continue to talk in circles though. It seems to be a pretty common tactic when you realize you’re wrong.
between 20-25 would mean 30 picks, 7 out of 30 in baseball for a prospect rate is really really good.
Actually between 20-25 means 24 picks (21,22,23,24), but I included picks 20 & 25 because I didn’t know which one to leave out.
likely never
dont tell trout that.
You’d rather an undrafted prospect over a top 50 prospect? There’s way too much more risk with a draft pick over someone who’s actually showing that he’s good.
Of course there is risk, but it’s not like top 50 prospects are guaranteed or anything.
Which is why you’d want to reduce your risk from undrafted unknown to someone who has already shown some success
Yes, but don’t want to give away Chapman for less than you want either. Keep in mind that Chapman has a lot of value in 2016 as well. Most people don’t think the Reds are going to compete in 2016, but the season hasn’t started yet. Most people didn’t think Texas had a chance in 2015 even before Darvish went down. There is no such thing as a guaranteed anything in baseball.
Again, reduce risk. The reds have to be better than The cubs, cardinals, pirates for their division and a combination of teams that don’t win their division which include Dodges, Giants, Dbacks, cubs, cards, bucks, nats, and mets. Yeah, they could, but that doesn’t look like a very wise gamble to take.
I agree that it is unlikely, but injuries always happen. No way I bet money on the Reds, but right now I wouldn’t bet against them either. Their owner is well known as a steadfast competitor. That’s the main reason why a massive sell off hasn’t happened yet.
Being stupid about whether you can compete or not shouldn’t be a position you want to defend.
He has made enough money in his lifetime to buy a baseball team. If he is stupid, then I hope to be half as stupid as him.
It won’t happen in the top 50. Top LAD prospects are Seager/Peraza/Urias/Deleon.. De Leon could dealt, but not for a 1 yr rental. Grant Holmes is close to top 50 but I don’t see him being moved either.
I could see a big leaguer ready player and some double A guys being moved. Schebler/Frias/Zach lee, that tier of players.
But with only the one year left on his contract is a glorified rental. This substantially impacts his value.
You guys really overrate years of control. Chapman for 1 year is worth more than most closers for 3.
Not even remotely true. The whole reason why Kimbrel was valuable was because he had multiple years left. Elite relievers are among the MOST sensitive to years of control
I’m pretty sure the fact that Kimbrel is one of the 2 best closers in the game was at least PART of the reason he was valuable.
But Chapman is barely a top 5 closer in the game.
Is this a troll?
If we did power rankings, he’d finish 5th for me.
which 4 closers are better than Chapman then?
Chapman: 1.80 ERA, 214 ERA+
Giles: 1.56 ERA, 250 ERA+
Betances: 1.45 ERA, 271 ERA+
Davis: 0.97 ERA, 418 ERA+
Then Kimbrel, who had a down year last year.
All those stats are over the last 2 seasons.
Betances isn’t even a closer and Giles was only a closer for 3 months. They might turn into great closers, but they aren’t there yet.
He saved 9 game, but if that doesn’t do it for you, change my claim to Chapman is barely a top 5 reliever.
Okay then change my claim of your assessment from insanely wrong to just plain wrong.
Fair enough
This made me actually lol. Thumbs up
No chance of acquiring Davis or Betances, they didnt get Kimbrel. Are you saying they should be trading for Giles instead of Chapman? If so thats fair enough.
strictly going by ERA for a reliever is not the way to go, not enough innings, if they have one bad outing in a blowout game it could effect their ERA by over a half run in a year.
Well, I think most MLB front offices would disagree with you.
Which literally no one has challenged.
Absolutely right the sox paid the high price bc of the number of years controlled if it was only one year they wouldn’t have given as much still would have given a very good prospect or two
I’m not sure who you mean by you guys, but this guy is wondering if you don’t think Chapman would be worth more in trade if he was team controlled for two or three more years.
Sorry I didn’t mean to lump you in with everyone, but all I meant that some people throw out that term like it is the most important stat for a player. Of course Chapman would get more if he was controlled for 3 years instead of 1. However, Chapman would get more for 1 year than most other closers would get for 3 years or more. He won’t get the Kimbrel package, but he will definitely garner a fairly significant package.
You’re not getting him for trash. You have to give value to get value. Delusional dodger fan.
No one said they’re giving trash, but he isn’t going to get near what 3 years of Kimbrel brought back.
Asking way too much? You must be joking and must be a Dodger fan. He’s the best young arm in baseball. Wow
Yes, Reds, we know…
Now just do it already
Should have dealt him at the deadline. The market is flooded with closers. Granted not the same skills
They are asking too much. It won’t happen.
Chapman is getting traded in the next week. Its all but a sure thing.
I hope he does. But the Reds will have to cut down their expectations on the return exponentially. They will not approach the Kimbrel package, let alone get more (Nick Cafardo reported they were asking for “significantly more.”)
He is their property. They have a right to ask whatever they want for him. Just like you would if you were selling him.
Its also important to not overplay your hand. You lose a valuable piece of the equation (QO) if you start the season with him.
Fair enough. However, these are baseball GMs we are talking about. Someone will overpay just for the press conference to introduce him to the fans. Never underestimate the ego of these guys.
That’s what the said last week, yet here we sit
This week is the Winter Meetings though.
Just like nobody would ever give up the Margot package for Kimbrel. Or Greinke is all but certain to be either a Dodger or a Giant. There is no such thing as WON’T happen.
In other news, water is wet, the sky is blue, and the Browns lost .
Mind = blown.
Pulling for Oakland to get him, then Melancon – just go all-out with the pen. Could happen, they have the pieces…lots of SPs and INFs not to mention prospects.
I bet it’s to the Dodgers. Anyone want in on this?
to be a set up guy, I doubt it
Chapman is better than Jansen. Is this really a question?
so they would trade prospects for one year of control for chapman
Well, I’m not the one reporting that they’re in talks to acquire him
The dodgers have the deepest farm system in baseball and they are in desperate need of bullpen help. So yes, they will trade prospects, but not their good ones.
Then they aren’t getting chapman. You have to give up good players to get good players back.
They stayed away from Papelbon because Papelbon demanded to close. I think they would rather throw money at Soria, Sipp, Clippard or go for the longer-term Giles than pay a big price for 1 year of Chapman.
So if it’s the dodgers, chapman is going to agree to be the set-up guy for jansen? wow
Yeaaaah no. Jansen would be setting up for Chapman.
Or they could put him in the rotation again as their #2-3 and increase his value exponentially with a strong season
Yep, a guy who’s spent the last 5 seasons closing would totally have a flawless transition to pitching 200 innings. He also hasn’t straight up said he doesn’t want to do that, or anything.
Yeah, they’ll put the far superior pitcher making 13 million behind Jansen. Makes sense.
Dodgers will tag team the closing opportunities. Here’s hoping this isn’t a panic reaction and an overpay situation.
I agree, LA feels they need to make a splash and AC would be nice.
Kyle Tucker and Tony Kemp for Chapman
Reds add to the farm with 2 young, good prospects. Tucker is going to be a 2018-2019 kind of player, so he projects well for when the Reds are going to compete again, and Kemp is a replacement for BP.
Ken Giles for Aaron Blair, Brandon Drury and Yasmani Tomas (salary dump)
Phillies add to their good young pitchers in Blair, get a 2B of the future in Drury, and get the 1B of the future in Tomas. Tomas’ defense is a problem, and the Phillies have no long term player there. Drury is blocked by Lamb, Ahmed and soon-to-be Swanson in the infield.
The D’Backs get a cheap, controllable, elite arm while dealing from an area of excess, MiLB pitching, 5 of their top 6 prospects are SP.
Thoughts?
I think the cubs make a package for giles
Consisting of what? Cubs aren’t going to give up Baez, Soler or Torres for a reliever. Happ is too far down the line. Lets play fantasy.
Could include castro plus a prospect , if they don’t want to trade baez or torres
I threw that idea out there the other day, but upon thinking of it more, Castro doesn’t really make a ton of sense for Philadelphia.
true but for a rebuilding team and he’s under control for cheap, put him at second while crawford continues to develop,
They’ll jut slide Galvis over to 2B until one of their prospects like Kingery is ready.
Who’s SS for PHI currently?
Freddy Galvis, but they have one of the best prospects in baseball, whos a shortstop, in JP Crawford
or Arismendy Alcantara.
Swap Drury with Ahmed or Owings. I think Drury has a chance to be really decent.
I think it will take 1 more prospect to get Chapman. Yes he only has 1 more year, but he will get the QO so that’s 1 prospect back right there. Unless you use that 1 year wisely and extend him.
I kind of like the Chapman trade, but this is the Reds, and I am not sure if Tucker/Kemp are sexy enough for them.
I would think the Reds would want one top 50.
Phillips replacement is already in the Reds organization. Alex Blandino, Reds top 10 project and his timeline lines up perfectly with BP’s contract.
Doubt “Phillip’s replacement” will have much selling value to the Reds
Its not selling value, its just about talent. Kemp hit .322 in 109 AA games over the last 2 seasons while stealing 28 bases. Hes a good prospect.
Did some research, turns out he’s been transitioning to OF.
Depending on how well that project is going, this could work. I really like Tucker and would love to see the Reds have him
The Giles package isn’t half bad except for the Tomas part. They are stuck with Howard for one more year and after that one of Alfaro or Knapp will likely take over.
I wonder if something can be built around Peraza. Maybe Peraza and Bellinger? Too much? Too little?
That actually makes some sense if the Dodgers are going after Kendrick.
Peraza was my first thought as well. Of course that depends how the Reds value him. Many don’t think he’s an every day player.
If the Reds got Corey Seager, I would be soooo happy…
thats going a little too far lol
But I’d be happy!
Yeah d be happy if the Dodgers got Jose Fernandez for B level prospects
The Dodgers usually DO get the Marlins best player (Hanley Ramirez, Ricky Nolasco) for B level prospects.
That won’t happen. Seager is LAD’s SS/3B of the future.
Lol, yeah, the #1 prospect in the game for one year of a closer, that makes sense. They aren’t going to get Seager,they aren’t going to get Urias, they’re probably not going to get De Leon, they’re probably not going to get Holmes. They’re not going to get offered a prospect better than Manuel Margot, so they really, really should have taken Boston’s offer.
There not going to take your trash either so keep dreaming.
Also, the dodgers calling about trading for Jose Fernandez, thats not going to happen unless the dodgers are willing to trade Urias De Leon , and Holmes
Which has absolutely nothing to do with who’d they move for Chapman. Congratulations on making a completely useless comment.
I would absolutely trade one or multiple of them for Fernandez. He has a HUGE amount of trade value, unlike Chapman.
Yeah, that makes sense. Will he close because Jensen will struggle as setup man.
Why would he struggle in that role?
Because, you know? The perfect ‘net argument.
The team that needs him most seems to be the Diamondbacks right now. They should be all-in for the next two or three years, when Greinke’s still in his prime and Goldschmidt and Pollock are still under control.
D-Backs should target a Giles or McGee. Someone with some control. If they don’t make the playoffs in 2016, then they wasted 2-3 notable prospects on Chapman.
I agree on that
Those might be better targets for them. It wouldn’t be a waste even if they didn’t make the playoffs next year, though, because whoever trades for Chapman will probably be able to slap him with a QO after the year.
While a QO is valuable, it doesn’t help them when they only have so many years of Grienke, Pollock, Goldy and Peralta before they start hitting FA/declining.
Not the Dodgers. I’d rather them offer a big package for Frazier
the dodgers would have to give up a lot for that to happen not sure who though
Lee,Schriber,Jose De Lon,Anderson,Pederson for Chapman,Baily or Bruce or Frazier?
That giving up like a lot of thier top 10 prospects and hurting the future for one maybe two guys
I think both teams should jump all over that, that would help them replace the value they lost with Greinke and that’s a perfect group of guys to get back for those 3.
Zack had one of a kind season so getting a red pitcher won’t equal this value. Champman a closer not a start unless the Dodgers move him to the rotation. They have ethier why would they need Bruce and turner no Frazier but he plays well enough that we don’t need to trade from the depth of the farm. I wouldn’t want the Dodgers to do a trade unless it a smart one that doesn’t hurt the future of the team farm or the team future
Homer Bailey has almost no value. If they wanted that type of pitcher they could have signed shark or sign Leake for cheaper
Sure champ helps with the he pen but how will any one of the other guys help fill zack spot in the rotation and they won’t. Bruce is just another ethier with more pop in my option, and turner playing well enough that we don’t need to do a trade
I’m not a 100% with this but didn’t Jensen struggle in non save games. Why trade for a closer when you have a closer who just as good. Sure champman a beast but shouldn’t they fill needs. Closer is not a need.
Dodgers need a guy that can fill the gap to get to the closer, so why not get one of the best bullpen arms when they prob not getting o’day
BTW – Can you imagine a fantasy league made up of MLB Trade Rumors commentators? How fun would that be?!?!?
commentators.
Isn’t that already a TV show?
Would a package of wheeler, Duda and 2 prospect get the mets chapman and votto
Wheeler Duda Muno and Matz might but they could demand more and arguably should
While he is a great player, Votto’s contract probably makes him about a 0 value piece.
Short answer: no.
Long answer: Votto has full no trade rights and has zero interest accepting a trade
No one knows how Wheeler is going to come back from surgery. Therefore, his value is very limited.
No, unless those 2 prospects were Corey Seager and Byron Buxton. Wheeler wouldn’t even get you Bruce last year and Duda is Duda.
Taking back 200M+ in salary also had a lot of value.
My opinion would hurt dodgers.
i wouldnt part with wheeler for that deal. remember chapman is a one year rental.
Don’t think votto wants to be traded
Package would prob include puig, Zack lee I think.
They’re not trading puig for 1 year of a closer
Yes pen need help but isn’t there other options that the Dodgers can look at that might not cost a arm and leg in prospects
Maybe trying to make a deal that would hurt them less.
Looks like a trade might happen. I’m worried who might be traded. I’m ok if they do a trade like say puig lee,and 2nd baseman they got from the braves. Something like that. I won’t be ok if they trade Pederson or Urias or even Seager
You’d be okay with Puig+ for a year of Chapman? Put down the pipe, man.
I wish everyone would stop with this “only 1 year of Chapman” argument, especially the LAD. You have more money than God. Do you really think they’d let Chapman walk at the end of the season without offering to make him a very rich man? If he goes to LAD, I’d give it at least a 66% chance he signs an extension, so this whole “we only get him for a year rental” is BS
I want to see this package, it would be interesting to have an idea of what Miller would bring the Yankees if they decided to move him. I don’t know if they will move him, but if a team that misses on Chapman jumps, I’d do it. Chapman is much more dominant than Miller, but those years of control for an affordable rate has to be of value to teams.
For seventy-four attaboys, what do you have as the trade?
You have to be spot-on, and your guess has to be in five minutes before the trade is announced.
Go.
My guess trade will be something like puig lee,Holmes with maybe a lower prospect.something like that
You’re in. Holmes makes quite a bit of sense.
I disagree. The Reds want young, controllable position players. Puig is signed through 2018, which would just be the front end of when the Reds are looking at their next window, and the Reds farm is already loaded with pitching
Still Puig’s ceiling is MVP type numbers, certainly All-Star. He had a down year yes, but he will bounce back. Trading 3 seasons of Puig + prospects seems steep for chapman to me.
Puig is way too much to sell for one year of Chapman, other less proven prospects makes more sense.
De Leon plus another Top 15 (in the Dodgers system) guy. Puig is not involved, I am absolutely certain.
Hernandez and Lee for Chapman
Maybe acquiring Chapman is to setup a even bigger blockbusting trade and get them a starting pitcher ie. Gray or Strasburg or Fernandez.
Doesn’t Strasburg have health issues and hasn’t been he same?
I think he’s fully recovered from some cancerous back growth issues, but I think to get strasburg there would be other pieces involved, because Strasburg is heading into free agency after the 2016 season.
The growth was non-cancerous.
Why? Why would you think that this is what that means. Especially because both the Marlins and A’s front office have said those two weren’t getting moved.
Two closers of that caliber (Jansen and Chapman) makes no sense to me. I think whoever the dodgers are dealing with be it Oakland or Miami or Washington or someone else, are demanding Jansen (or a top notch proven ninth innings man) as part of the trade, which would be a feasible reason for signing Chapman.
Well Chapman isn’t a free agent, so no one is signing him. What makes you think any of those things? You saw KC’s bullpen, teams are emulating this right now. NY is another example with Betances and Miller.
The dodgers are one of the teams that can field a $30-40m bullpen without it severely limiting their ability to fill other needs.
apologies, i meant acquiring chapman* at the end of the paragraph. It is highly speculative, the Dodgers seem to come up with out of the box trades regularly, so it would not suprise. Besides I think their priority would still be to find another high end starting pitcher, if Greinke was their main priority why change that.
Because there is only 1 greinke. Getting a solid pen together helps shorten a game so you don’t need as much from your starting rotation.
Stil the Dodgers need another high end rotation arm.
With the way their rotation looks right now, I’d say they would be better off getting some consistent depth pieces than 1 really good pitcher. They have a lot of question marks in that rotation.
Are the Reds still looking for MLB ready players? I could see Guerrero in the deal if we pay for 90% of his contract.
You think the Reds want players from your garbage heap for one of baseballs top 2 closers? If he’s in the deal its as a footnote
Alex Guerrero is a 20+ HR player in Cin , maybe 25+ HR given he gets the at bats. That kind of MLB production is valuable when the acquiring team is getting him for a fraction of what that production would cost on the open market. So , yes, there is value in Alex Guerrero with a paid down contract. Is that what the Reds want? That’s the question. No doubt Chapman is elite but remember it’s 1 yr of team control
Bruce has to be in it if Puig is because both play RF.
Cueto or Leake to Cardinals or Cubs.
Good Amsinger,Casey,O’Dowd need something to talk about other then Rumors.
I don’t think anyone has reported that Puig could be part of it, though.
If all the Reds are getting is a top 50 prospect, I’d just wait until the trade deadline and get that return. I’d want a top 50 prospect plus 1-2 low level guys for Chapman today.
Do you mean lower lvl lottery types?
I see chapman getting about 1/2 of the value that boston traded to SD. So 1 top 50ish plus another interesting guy or one top 50ish and a couple lower level high ceiling low floor lottery types
Yes, 1-2 lower level lottery types.
then same here
The Dodgers and Reds don’t really mesh that well with prospects, so I am a bit surprised they are making progress. The Reds needs position prospects and the Dodgers have mostly pitching prospects at the top (I am excluding Seager because they are unlikely to be trading him). Perhaps it could be something like a Puig package. Or they could potentially take less by attaching Brandon Phillips or Homer Bailey to the deal. It’s the Dodgers, they are an unlimited piggy bank, so anything is possible.
Phillips has 10/5 no trade rights and doesn’t seem too eager to leave Cincinnati
You’re right, I forgot about that.
I agree! I think there may be a surprise in this trade. This will be Dick Williams’ first big move as GM. It’ll be interesting to see if he pulls any strings.
They do have that one player they got from the braves other then that it true Dodgers are mostly pitcher heavy
I wouldn’t be surprised if a deal was worked out that the reds get Peraza.
Reds would be asking for a package headlined by Jose De Leon. I hope that is not the case if Dodgers would not include him on a Cole Hamels trade.
Maybe it’s something like :
– Alex Verdugo
– Grant Homles
– Mitchell Hansen
– Chris Anderson
– Zach Lee
– Jarrell Cotton
I could see a combo of 3 of these names plus Alex Guerrerro + Cash ?
They could add Peraza since Dodgers do like to trade prospects they got in trades. But I mind if anyone of them are traded. Maybe even Barnes the 2nd/C could be a option
One or two prospects probably Lee, Cotton + Ethier would suffice.
We are trying to shed salary, not add more. Either makes no sense unless the Dodgers eat nearly all the money.
Like when they traded Kemp…i wouldnt rule it out.
You want arguably the most dominant reliever in the game for your organization’s number 15 prospect, 17 prospect (who are both pitchers, which the Reds are not targeting), and an over paid 33 OF (while the Reds are trying to get younger and cheaper)?
Get real.
The Dodgers actually NEED Ethier at this point. Do you really want to rely on Carl Crawford to play a corner OF position every day next season?
Barnes is a MLB ready talent at 2b + C. Not highly regarded as a prospect but a valuable roster assest.
Dodgers just signed Utley to 1yr deal so maybe Utley/Peraza platoon at 2nd.
Not sure Reds will get an elite piece or several good pieces to headline the package , but it will be a considerable package
I Just think Barnes could be a decent option for a package. If the Reds want position players
Reds are pretty set at C. I don’t see him being a huge piece in any deal
Jose De Leon isn’t going anywhere. I’m pretty sure Alex Guerrero, Zach Lee, Chris Anderson and Cotton will be the package.
Stretch him out, Dodgers.
Anything is as valuable as what people want to pay. No reason to hate on the reds for a high asking price. They just want more than a draft pick with a qo. The reds aren’t afraid to pay a high price when they want something, other clubs shouldn’t be any different. Chapman is a dominate closer and pretty damn consistent. He is young and is getting better with maturity. He is a solid piece in any bullpen. Ask any player who they would rather have pitching against them with the game on the line.
Yea, THIS is the piece that LA needs. /sarcasm.
I never understood why teams are willing to dish out big bucks/top prospects for closers. I know that Chapman is arguably the best closer in baseball, but he’s still just a reliever. Closers get paid to “save” games, and if I were a GM I wouldn’t care one bit if they can do that by throwing 100 mph (Chapman), inducing mass amounts of groundballs (Zielger), or pitching with pinpoint accuracy, as long as they don’t lose the game in the 9th.
It all depends on who they’re willing to part with right?
Julio Urias and a couple of guys will definitely get the deal done but
do we want to give away our top pitching prospect for him?
Doubt very much they would give up Urias or De Leon but they have a number of potential back of rotation starters coming up who they could use as trade bait (Stripling, De Jong, etc.)
The Reds aren’t going to bite on a “potential back of rotation starter.” They’ll probably get one of those as a throw in, but the main piece is going to be a young OF.
Unless that “young OF” is named Puig, I don’t see this being a fit. LA isn’t going to deal Pederson in a Chapman trade, having already refused to include him in a potential deal with Atlanta for Shelby Miller (one that would make a hell of a lot more sense for the Dodgers than acquiring a second closer).
Why not go big for Chapman ? The Dodgers can afford to sign him after next season. Why wouldn’t they ? He’s the most dominant deliver of the past several years. They should get quite a haul. I’d like Seager, of course, but I’m probably asking for too much. Can he play anything outside of short ?
Does anyone honestly believe that Chapman is going to be happy pitching the 8th inning for LA? That Jansen would be happy being replaced as closer (a year after going 36-38 in save situations)? This deal just doesn’t make sense. Cincinnati is not selling Chapman cheaply, and he would be a pure luxury item for an LA team, that isn’t looking like one that is going to have all that many 8th inning leads at this point (A one-man pitching rotation plus mediocre offense). LA needs to make a deal for a big time pitcher, but it needs to be a starter, not another closer. They need a setup guy for sure, but Chapman isn’t going to be happy in that role.