Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports
After overachieving and reaching the playoffs last season, the New York Yankees are evidently thinking big this offseason as they’ve reportedly traded for star closer Aroldis Chapman. New York will send RHPs Caleb Cotham and Rookie Davis as well as infielders Eric Jagielo and Tony Renda to Cincinnati. Given the fact Chapman just has one year left on his contract, though, this move doesn’t make much sense.
Yankees have acquired Aroldis Chapman from the Reds for RHPs Caleb Cotham and Rookie Davis and INFs Eric Jagielo and Tony Renda.
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) December 28, 2015
It’s going to be difficult for New York to reach the playoffs for a second straight year for a number of reasons. First of all, one would expect that an aging Alex Rodriguez won’t be able to duplicate his 2015 numbers in 2016. The league as a whole also got a lot better. Most notably, the Detroit Tigers, who have been perennial contenders as of late, look to be competitive once again next season.
Within the division, the Boston Red Sox added top pitcher David Price via free agency, making it harder for the Yankees to compete in the AL East.
The Yankees haven’t been trying to spend big money lately, likely so they can make a run at Bryce Harper after the 2018 season, so they haven’t drastically improved this offseason. Adding Chapman gives them the best bullpen 1-2-3 punch in the game with Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller also back there, but it’s not going to raise their win total significantly.
Since Chapman is only guaranteed to be in New York this season, the timing of the trade makes absolutely no sense. The 2016 season is going to be the hardest for the Yankees to make the playoffs in the foreseeable future. Therefore, this trade might end up wasting them four prospects.
Late in games, don’t expect the Yankees to blow many leads in 2016 after acquiring Chapman. However, most should not expect them to make the playoffs either. As their roster ages and other teams around them improve, it’s going to be very difficult to reach the postseason for a second straight year. Chapman will help in that quest, but he won’t help enough to justify the risk on a player with one year remaining on his deal.
