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MLB: Winners and Losers from Aroldis Chapman trade

By Dave Stevenson

Oct 2, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman (54) pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the ninth inning at PNC Park. The Pirates won 6-4 in twelve innings. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 2, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman (54) pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the ninth inning at PNC Park. The Pirates won 6-4 in twelve innings. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /
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May 26, 2015; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Andrew Miller (48) pitches against the Kansas City Royals during the ninth inning of a baseball game at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees defeated the Royals 5 - 1. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports /

WINNERS: New York Yankees

The New York Yankees come out of this trade as arguably its biggest winner. The Yankees can now evaluate the trade market and potentially trade closer Andrew Miller for an even bigger package than they were going to before the Aroldis Chapman trade. Now they own the best closer on the market and can basically name the price for teams to have to pay to get him.

The Yankees can afford to get rid of Miller thanks to the emergence of Dellin Betances. One could even argue that Betances is likely a better closer than Miller. At the very least, Miller is getting paid an eight-figure salary while Betances commands the league minimum for one more season before hitting arbitration.

The Yankees should deeply consider trading Miller because they could get young pitching for him, unlike the Reds, who settled for prospects for Aroldis Chapman. They have a plethora of other young arms who could slot into Betances’ old setup spot while Betances takes over at closer.

The Yankees don’t even have to trade Miller. They could go all in for next season and keep together the deadly bullpen combo of Betances and Miller that could give them a Royals-esque back end of the bullpen. But now they can further assess the market.

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