1. Trade for Aroldis Chapman of the New York Yankees
The Yankees have already made an appearance on this list, but Beltran is not the only Yankees player who might interest competitors with the trade deadline approaching.
Many teams will be interested in the impact arms in the Yankees’ bullpen. Dellin Betances is not going anywhere, and the Yankees do not seem interested in trading Andrew Miller for anything less than a massive haul, but I imagine that pending free agent Aroldis Chapman could be had for a fair price.
Chapman is undoubtedly one of the most dominant relief pitchers in all of baseball. His combination of a 100+ mph fastball and a knock-out slider makes Chapman one of the most difficult pitchers to hit in baseball.
Chapman has continued to dominate in the American League this season, posting a 2.49 ERA and saving 17 games in 18 chances as the Yankees’ closer. Also, his 1.91 FIP suggest that he has been a bit unlucky, which is a strong sign of things to come in the second half.
If the Astros are serious about making a run to the World Series in 2016, adding to their strength in the bullpen could make them extremely difficult to beat down the stretch.
Chapman certainly comes with his off-field concerns, but his impact at the end of the bullpen is unrivaled. Adding him to the mix in Houston could be a huge move for the Astros.
A package deal involving Chapman and Beltran in exchange for some of the Astros’ impressive prospects would make sense for both sides.
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