MLB rumors: 5 favorites to trade for Aroldis Chapman
By Josh Wilson
Aroldis Chapman feels like a sure MLB trade deadline mover. These teams appear to be some of the best fits for him.
Aroldis Chapman has taken his one-year deal with the Kansas City Royals incredibly seriously and will almost certainly leverage it into a spot on a team vying for a playoff spot.
After his reputation hit a low point last season with a lengthy absence away from the Yankees due to injuries and then disagreements about his role on the playoff roster (standard relief vs locked-in closer), he has reinvented himself in Kansas City and proven he still has the velocity and control that many thought had escaped him for good. He threw the fastest pitch of the MLB season.
The Royals are not winning games, and given that Chapman’s contract will expire at the end of this year, the trade deadline will be a perfect time for the Royals to cash in on their offseason signing, getting some prospects in return for competitive teams that would like to add Chapman for their down-the-stretch play.
The Royals have already received calls on Chapman according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription required), that much we do know. While the teams that have reached out haven’t leaked just yet, I’ll do my best to pinpoint who I think the five favorites should be to land Chapman in a trade this season.
Favorites to trade for Aroldis Chapman: St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals have deeper needs with their starting pitching rotation, but adding some relief help couldn’t hurt, either. St. Louis has already had to relegate some pitchers like Jordan Hicks to low-leverage situations, so having a go-to pitcher out of the pen for high-leverage scenarios to secure wins could be exactly what they need to continue getting back on track.
The Cardinals have a long road ahead of them to climb up out of the hole they dug themselves into to start the year in the NL Central, and Chapman could certainly help them get there.
Spoiler alert, but we have another team later on in this list from the NL Central. Keeping him out of other teams’ hands in the division while accomplishing the above would make this a win in multiple ways.