Cubs Acquire Aroldis Chapman: What Is The Fantasy Impact?

By Mike Marteny | Jul 25, 2016

Jul 15, 2016; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman (54) pitches against the Boston Red Sox during the ninth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

Aroldis Chapman traded to Cubs. What is the fantasy impact?

For the first time in many Yankees fans’ lifetime, the Yankees are rebuilding. Now, it may not be a rebuild in the way that the Padres, Braves, or Twins are doing, but they just traded an established star for a nice haul of prospects. That said, the Yankees dealt from an embarrassingly rich part of their team to almost single-handedly rebuild their minors. Is that really a rebuild? We will have to see what else they do this week!

Here are the details of the trade:

The fantasy value of Chapman will not change. He is 3-0 with a 2.01 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 20 saves, and 44 strikeouts in 31.1 innings pitched. He is still an elite closer, and may actually see more save chances with the Cubs. You can try to snag him from an upset Yankees fan, just don’t pay what the Cubs did in real life!

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Andrew Miller is the fantasy winner here. For those of you that held on to Miller when Chapman returned from his suspension, your patience will be richly rewarded. Miller is still available in nearly 20% of ESPN leagues. Go see if your league is one of them and pick him up immediately! Miller is 6-1 with a 1.45 ERA, 0.76 WHIP, seven saves, and 74 strikeouts in 43.1 innings pitched. He is nearly as dominant as Chapman!

The fantasy loser here is Hector Rondon, the current Cubs closer. Rondon has done nothing to lose the job. Rondon is 1-2 with a 2.68 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 18 saves, and 48 strikeouts in 37 innings. Those are good numbers, but Chapman’s are great. Rondon will be the setup man, so if you are in a league that counts holds, hang on to him.

The prize of this deal from the Yankees standpoint is Gleyber Torres. He is already in the top 25 of every prospect list at the age of 19. Many predict he will be in the majors full time by the middle of next year. The Cubs had no room for him with Addison Russell, Javier Baez, and Ben Zobrist clogging up the middle infield at Wrigley. Torres is hitting .275 with nine homers, 47 RBI, and 19 steals at high-A Myrtle Beach. The Yankees have not announced where he will be assigned yet.

The Yankees also bought low on Billy McKinney, who joined the Cubs in the Jeff Samardzija trade to the A’s in 2014. McKinney is still only 21, and is hitting .252 with a homer, 31 RBI, and two steals at AA Tennessee. It is way too early to call him a bust, but those numbers have caused a freefall down prospect lists. He is currently at #75 on mlb.com

22 year old Rashad Crawford is the least known of the players heading to New York. Crawford is hitting .255 with three homers, 30 RBI, and 22 steals for high-A Myrtle Beach.

Adam Warren will be returning to pinstripes where he spent the first four years of his career before being traded in the Starlin Castro deal. Warren was 3-2 with a 5.91 ERA in his half a year in the National League. However, Warren posted a 3.39 ERA in 20 starts and 127 relief appearances as a Yankee.

No one doubts the ability of Chapman, and his abuse of radar guns is well documented. However, this sets the bar very high for teams looking to add bullpen help. If Theo Espstein, who is notorious for denouncing the impact of closers, pays this much for Chapman, what will the price be for Miller? How about for lesser closers such as Brandon Kintzler or Arodys Vizcaino? Many GM’s are likely cussing the Cubs right now, both for taking Chapman off the market and for paying so much for him.

Next: What Can You Expect From David Dahl?

Stay tuned to Fantasy CPR for all of the trade impacts in what could be a wild deadline week!

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