Cubs Rumors: Aroldis Chapman reunion, Dansby Swanson says relax, Morel wasted

Cubs Rumors: Could Aroldis Chapman come back?

The Cubs traded their top prospect at the time, Gleyber Torres, for then-Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman. In 2016, Chapman was a force in the Cubs bullpen, which helped the team win its first World Series in over a century.

Chicago may not be at that point just yet, but if they’re in a position of success by the trade deadline, acquiring Chapman (who is on an expiring contract) makes a lot of sense as a rental. Cubbies Crib noted this in a recent column:

"“Who doesn’t like a little reunion? Former Cubs closer Aroldis Chapman has reemerged as a lockdown guy in his first month with the Kansas City Royals. In 11 outings this year, Chapman has a 1.74 ERA an 19 strikeouts over 10 innings. Perhaps most importantly, Chapman’s velocity seems to have returned to his usual triple-digit level. He is showing signs of his former power pitching levels and the Cubs should consider giving the Royals a prospect or two to bring Champman back to Chicago.”"

But what would that trade look like? I took a swing at that portion, though it’s important to note that the ebbs and flows of said negotiations aren’t my expertise.

As I suggested a few days ago, Wicks is the Cubs No. 5 prospect, as the four in front of him are in MLB Pipeline’s top-100 prospect rankings. The only way Chicago would consider trading one of them would be a one-for-one swap, and the Royals likely want several prospects in return for Chapman. Wicks is capable and major-league ready. Canario isn’t far behind, and he’s stashed in Chicago’s system given their top-3 prospects are all outfielders.

Gray is only 19 years old and has plenty of room for growth. He’s the sleeper of this deal, and could work out in the long haul for Kansas City.

It’s a bit of a longshot, but who doesn’t love a good reunion?