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After several months of searching, the Cincinnati Reds have finally found a trade partner for closer Aroldis Chapman. The Los Angeles Dodgers, who jumped into the sweepstakes for the closer just a few days ago, have reportedly acquired the flamethrower from Cincinnati for two prospects.
BREAKING: #Dodgers agree to acquire Chapman from #Reds for two prospects. Deal is pending review of medical records, sources say.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 7, 2015
Neither of those prospects is coveted Corey Seager, Julio Urias or Jose DeLeon. The plan as of right now is to keep current closer Kenley Jansen on the roster, likely as a setup man, but it remains to be seen if that plan will hold throughout the winter.
What really forced this trade was the Dodgers’ sense they needed to make a splash after missing out on Zack Greinke in free agency. While Chapman does strengthen their bullpen, it was a fairly foolish move, even though they didn’t get rid of any of their three top prospects.
It seems like a case of a big-market team wanting to flex their muscles just to show they can. Their bullpen wasn’t particularly bad in 2015, but they went out and got one of the best closers on the market. There’s nothing wrong with that, but there are other areas they could stand to improve.
For one, the lineup isn’t that great. Without Greinke in the rotation now (even though the team inked Hisashi Iwakuma to a multi-year deal) their starting pitching isn’t particularly strong either. If the team isn’t taking leads late into games, what good is having Chapman on the roster anyway?
He will be a star in L.A., but a star closer is worth far less than a star starting pitcher or a star position player. What the Dodgers needed this offseason is one of the last two. They didn’t get either, so they went out and made a splash elsewhere. Sure, it will make the bullpen stronger and more exciting, but beyond that, it doesn’t address the biggest needs the Dodgers had this offseason.
Perhaps at some point, the Dodgers will realize that having a lot of money to spend doesn’t simply earn you World Series titles. They should know; they haven’t won one in quite some time.
