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NEW YORK YANKEES
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Acquired RHP Adam Warren, SS-R Gleyber Torres, OF-L Billy McKinney, and OF-L Rashad Crawford from Chicago Cubs in exchange for LHP Aroldis Chapman. [7/25]

No, the sky is not falling. Pigs are not flying, and no, dogs and cats are not (completely) living in harmony. The rivers are not running red with blood, and locusts have not descended upon the Bronx with ravenous abandon. There’s no need to adjust your television set. The Yankees really did sell off a major asset in the middle of trade season. They didn’t buy. They sold.

Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean that the selling will continue. Brian Cashman made a point of saying that the trade wasn’t a “white flag,” and that the Yankees could still potentially buy come the deadline. It’s debatable as to whether it was Cashman who said that, or rather Hal Steinbrenner speaking through Cashman. After all, it was Steinbrenner who was unwilling to move major assets as recently as Sunday, and it is Steinbrenner who still thinks that the Yankees can make the playoffs. The results of the ongoing series in Houston will go a long way in deciding what course of action the team takes, as well as the strength of the offers that Cashman receives for his potential trade chips. The Yankees moving to three games over .500 for the first time on Monday night does nothing but muddy the waters in this regard.

Let’s focus on what’s already happened, then. Aroldis Chapman, for all his talent, is not a particularly valuable asset for a club that’s forever drifting on the seas of mediocrity. This is especially true for a club that also employs Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller. Chapman will test free agency come wintertime, and the Yankees have a history of manufacturing useful relievers out of paper mache and rubber bands. Given what the Cubs offered for him, it would have been madness to turn it down. After all, Chapman is much more valuable to the Cubs, who are about to enter the playoffs, and will need all of the lockdown innings that they can get their hands on. Chapman is certainly someone who can provide them.

One of those aforementioned magical paper-mache-and-rubber-bands relievers is Adam Warren, who initially went to the Cubs in the Starlin Castro trade and returned home in this deal. Warren, during his time with the Yankees, proved to be a very useful swingman who could pitch both in short stints and out of the rotation. A ghastly 5.74 DRA in Chicago saw him demoted to Triple-A at a few different points this year, but past success in New York made him a tantalizing target. Warren will immediately join the big-league roster and will likely pitch out of the bullpen under the watchful gaze of pitching coach Larry Rothschild, who helped mold him into an effective arm. Should the Yankees move a starter (Ivan Nova, Michael Pineda, and Nathan Eovaldi have all come up in trade rumors), Warren could easily slide into the rotation.

The prospects involved in the deal will be covered in depth below by the wise and venerable prospect team, but it’s very obvious that the Yankees got a lot more for Chapman here than they gave up to Cincinnati (Rookie Davis, Eric Jagielo, Tony Renda, and Caleb Cotham) to fetch him. That’s largely because the Yankees took advantage of the fact that Chapman was under investigation for domestic violence. It was Chapman’s act of abuse that allowed the Yankees to flip him for a huge profit from a talent standpoint. That thought is an unsettling one. Chapman was never particularly remorseful about his actions, either.

The Yankees may have lost an 105 mph fastball here, but they also lost a seemingly violent and foul human being. Regardless of the prospects that came in return, that feels like a win. There are no misconceptions that the Yankees clubhouse is now populated by solely virtuous and pure people. But Chapman’s transgressions were palpable and out in the open. Those transgressions are no longer hanging over the Yankees, at least in the present tense. That’s why this trade should not be viewed as a referendum by the Yankees on domestic violence. The same group of people still traded for him in the first place. This trade is a calculated shift towards adding more young talent to the organization. The means by which this was done was to utilize a domestic abuser as a desirable asset. The Yankees did well in this trade. Just remember how they arrived at this point. —Nicolas Stellini

Gleyber Torres struggled to start the season as a 19-year-old in High-A, but he did what you want every impact prospect who's extremely young for a level to do: make adjustments. Since then, he’s gotten better every month, and has really turned it on entering August. Torres carries exciting offensive upside for a shortstop, and it’s encouraging that he’s becoming a quality player in the Carolina League at his age—at a premium position, no less. Torres is built thicker than most shortstops, and range isn't his best defensive attribute. He's got a chance to remain at the position due to good ability to finish plays, and takes some pressure off his range from a strong throwing arm that allows him to play deeper.

Chicago has an absurd amount of young middle infield prospects, and that freed up Torres for trade in a way that another organization might not have been as willing to do. Many clubs make players like Torres—those being teenage shortstops with chances to be above-average hitters at the position—unavailable in trades for a rental reliever, even if it is Aroldis Chapman. That says a lot about Chicago’s flexibility by way of system depth, as well as the type of talent that Torres could be. He’s the prospect that made this trade go, and in the best-case scenario, this could be the day the Yankees acquired their regular shortstop of the future. —Adam McInturff

McKinney was the A's first-round selection in 2013, but he wasn't long for the green and gold, as he was shipped off to Chicago in the blockbuster Addison Russell-Jeff Samardjiza trade. After two impressive seasons in the Cubs system, 2016 has been a relative disaster, as he's hit just .252/.355/.322 with one homer at Double-A Tennessee. Even with the not-so-good numbers, there are still quite a few McKinney fans in the scouting circle, and with good reason. When you see him on the right day, you'll see a guy with an excellent swing that stays in the zone with quick hands, and he'll make hard contact all over the field.

He's shown more patience this year than any other, but that might be part of the problem, as he's not only on pace for a career-high in walks but a career-high in strikeouts as well. Power has never been a big part of his game; his swing is geared towards contact with very little loft, but the Yankees may try to add more loft and incorporate more of the lower half. There is some strength here, so it doesn't have to be 20 power. The other issue with McKinney is defensively. He's a below-average runner with a below-average arm, so he's destined for left field. That puts an enormous amount of pressure on the hit tool to succeed, and quite frankly, we haven't seen much in 2016 that suggests it's up for the challenge. That being said, we're just a year removed from this being one of the best corner outfield prospects in baseball, and considering he's still just 21 years old, there's time for him to reclaim that stature. —Christopher Crawford

Crawford was the Cubs' 11th-rounder in 2012, so he’s now nearly 23. Though he’s yet to reach Double-A, his tool set fits the profile of a longer-range development project anyway. He’s an interesting third piece to this trade, a lesser-known prospect than McKinney or Torres. His inclusion hints that the Yankees have been enthused by the center fielder’s torrid July after an ice-cold May and June, and think Crawford has the athleticism to keep making adjustments and adding polish into his mid-20s.

He’s a physical, tapered, explosive athlete with good size at 6-foot-3. Crawford’s frame and easy actions on both sides of the ball get scouts’ attention immediately. He plays more like a speedster, with a table-setting offensive tool set. Unlikely to ever provide over-the-fence power, he’s still managed to add more thump this year, already besting his 2015 doubles total. The plusses on his scouting report stem from his speed and athleticism. He has the acceleration and glide of a stick-in-center outfield prospect, and he’s posted more than 20 steals each of the last two seasons. He might not be as impactful as top Yankees outfield prospects like Aaron Judge, Dustin Fowler, or recently-drafted Blake Rutherford, but Crawford’s athleticism, projectability, and tools will make him a nice add to the middle of the system. —Adam McInturff

Fantasy Impact

Andrew Miller

The biggest fantasy winner of this trade is Miller: an elite reliever who was in one of the few bullpens in baseball where he wasn’t “good enough” to close. Miller instantly moves to the front of the line for saves in New York and should be good for 10-15 saves the rest of the way. Even if the Yankees decide to completely pare down and trade Miller, it is highly likely that Chapman’s other rumored suitors would use Miller in the ninth as well. —Mike Gianella

CHICAGO CUBS
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Acquired LHP Aroldis Chapman from New York Yankees in exchange for RHP Adam Warren, SS-R Gleyber Torres, OF-L Billy McKinney, and OF-L Rashad Crawford. [7/25]

“How can one evaluate such an idiosyncratic president, so brilliant and so morally lacking?” — Historian James MacGregor Burns, on Richard Nixon

Aroldis Chapman is not Richard Nixon. For one thing, Nixon was a righty. For another, in Chapman’s dossier is a far lesser—if still deeply and painfully suggestive—body of evidence that the man in question is, in MacGregor’s words, “morally lacking.” But both men, it is clear, did or have done much in life worth apologizing for, and both men, it is equally clear, were—and, in Chapman’s case, will very likely remain for some time—unambiguously brilliant performers in their chosen fields. In the jarring collision of those paired truths lies the essential tension of this trade, and also the enormous difficulty of producing an analysis of its merits. The standard rules simply do not apply.

Let’s begin simply, by pretending that they do. Today, the Cubs have Aroldis Chapman, and not Clayton Richard, on their big-league roster. Yesterday, in contrast, they had Clayton Richard, and not Aroldis Chapman, on their big-league roster. You need know little of the particulars of each man’s season to date to understand that this means that the Cubs are a better team today than they were yesterday. You need know only slightly more—for example, that the Cubs can now throw Pedro Strop out for the seventh inning, and Hector Rondon for the eighth—to understand that they're probably also a team better prepared to win postseason games today than they were yesterday, although the degree to which elite relieving contributes to postseason success is a far more contested subject than the superiority of Aroldis Chapman to Clayton Richard.

So, the Cubs are a better team today than they were yesterday. That is a feature of their present state of affairs. But they are also a team today without the services, either at present or in the future, of Adam Warren, Gleyber Torres, Billy McKinney, and Rashad Crawford. That is also a feature of their present state of affairs. Is that present state a better or worse one for the Cubs than the state they’d have been in had they done nothing at all yesterday? And the fact is, there is no single correct answer to that question. The conclusion you come to will depend almost entirely upon the degree to which you value Cubs wins in the present–especially wins in the postseason–over Cubs wins in the future–especially wins in the regular season–and the degree to which you believe that any of the players sent to the Yankees could have contributed to either category.

It seems clear, based on their actions yesterday, that the Cubs both (a) value wins in the present–especially wins in this year’s postseason–far more highly than they value wins in the future–especially wins in the regular season–and (b) don’t believe they gave up that many wins in the future anyway. Sure, it’s possible that they could have used some of the players they just gave up as the centerpieces of an offseason deal intended to return young pitching. But the Cubs’ actions today suggest strongly that they felt they would get more net present value by trading those players now, for Chapman. Maybe they’re wrong. Maybe they’re right. I don’t know. I suspect, given the massive information asymmetries at play, that they’re right, or at least as right as they can be given the information available to them and us at the moment.

But it doesn’t really matter what I suspect. It matters what the Cubs did, and what they did is go for it. Their biggest weakness was their bullpen, and they went out and got the best reliever in baseball. The Chicago Cubs are meaningfully more likely to win the World Series in 2016 than they were 24 hours ago, and it is not overwhelmingly and incontrovertibly clear that they are any less likely to win it in future, either. On its baseball terms alone, that set of facts makes this trade, in my book, a clear victory for the Cubs.

But this trade cannot and should not be evaluated on baseball terms alone. We are all humans first, and Aroldis Chapman is a human who has—whatever else you believe about him—admitted to firing eight shots from a handgun, inside his home, during the course of an argument with his girlfriend, Cristina Barnea. He has, moreover, expressed regret that he did not “exercise better judgment that evening," strongly suggesting that his actions—even if he never hit or choked anybody, and even if the shots were not aimed directly at Barnea—could have and certainly have been interpreted in a way that caused pain and hurt to his partner. On that basis, and on the basis of our understanding that not all violence is physical, and that even implied violence is clearly abuse, Aroldis Chapman has clearly committed, at least once, domestic violence and abuse.*

*I think it’s perfectly reasonable to suspect, given what we know about the silence often created and sustained by domestic violence, and even given the inherently disputed nature of the facts at hand, that Chapman has committed acts of domestic violence more than once. But I’m not here to make that case, one way or another, or to imply by stating that he has committed at least one act that he has not committed more. It is, to me, unambiguously clear that he has been willfully and inappropriately violent to his partner at least once, and that is enough for my argument to proceed.

Therefore, the Cubs acquired a man who has, at least once, committed domestic abuse. How in the world are we, as humans, meant to react to that? There are a few ways that make sense to me: First, to acknowledge to ourselves and to others, publicly and pervasively, that domestic violence in all its forms is never, ever, acceptable, that it must therefore be called out wherever possible, and that those who commit it must face consequences for their actions, even as they like the rest of us must be permitted a chance at redemption. Second, to recognize that professional sports leagues, in general, and professional sports teams, in particular, are not designed to be moral organizations, even when staffed by generally moral people.

They are organizations designed to make money. Any appearance of morality that a team suggests has always, either explicitly or implicitly, been calibrated in order to make as much money as possible. This is not always a bad thing. Teams and leagues have found lately they can make money, in consequence of the public’s increased affection for their brands, by supporting organizations and causes the public deems worthy—breast cancer awareness, general health and fitness, and racial equality come to mind—and so they support those causes with dollars they might otherwise have spent on new yachts for their owners. The good done by those dollars is not negated by the amoral nature of their assignment to those causes. It is still good done.

But it is not good done for the sake of good, and that means that those same teams who buy pink bats and fund R.B.I. programs sometimes also do things that seem, on the surface, to be rather clearly amoral, like submitting to their young fans for uncritical hero-worship a man they know to have committed domestic violence. Hypocrisy? Maybe, but there’s not much point in saying it. We never should have expected teams to do good for the sake of good in the first place, and will waste our breath in calling them hypocrites. They were never going to do the right thing, all the time, or even try. They were always going to try to make money. That’s what they do.

And there, right in the heart of the problem, lies the solution. Because teams are single-minded, they are also predictable. Move dollars, and actions will follow. Now, most team dollars are generated or lost by wins lost or gained, and so for the most part adding a great player (like Chapman) who adds wins but subtracts character will almost always be a safe financial bet for a big-league club. But teams lose money on the margins, too, and it's in those dollars that loud and persistent speech in opposition to domestic violence, and in opposition to acquiring players who have not yet made clear their full understanding of the consequences of their actions, and their commitment to solving them in themeslves and in others, can make a difference.

I am not foolish enough to think that the Cubs don’t currently employ players who hold beliefs, and have committed actions, that I personally find reprehensible and unworthy of respect. They definitely do, and always will. And I am not young enough to believe that the Cubs must or could always employ only individuals completely free of vice. Such a thing would be impossible. To be human is to be flawed and to be broken, and to expect perfection of each other is therefore to ensure our own disappointment. But I am not yet old enough to believe that we cannot together make the world more whole, and each other less broken.

I am not yet old enough to believe that, by loudly and and persistently saying today what we do and do not believe about domestic violence, Aroldis Chapman, and their coincidence on the Chicago Cubs, we cannot help to ensure that, when next faced with a decision of this type, the Cubs will read the tea leaves differently, balance the books a different way, and ensure that Chapman and players of his type either come to the Cubs in a spirit of radical transparency, honesty, and personal rehabilitation—in which case we should welcome them as fellow human travelers on the road to redemption, knowing that we ourselves have sinned and come to regret it—or not come at all. I believe that we can do that. I believe, moreover, that we should. And I believe that our decision to do so, and its consequences for Cristina Barnea and so many others like her, is far, far more important than who won the trade the Cubs and Yankees completed yesterday afternoon. —Rian Watt

Fantasy Impact

Aroldis Chapman

Chapman is one of the best closers in the game, so his fantasy value was not going to move significantly regardless of where the Yankees traded him. Even after serving a 30-game suspension under MLB’s domestic violence policy, Chapman is still the 11th-best reliever in fantasy according to Baseball Prospectus’ PFM. The move out of the AL East and into the NL Central helps Chapman somewhat based on quality of opponents and ballparks, but his numbers would be elite no matter where he plied his trade. —Mike Gianella

Fantasy Impact

Hector Rondon

Rondon has been a capable closer all season long, but the Cubs didn’t trade four prospects to use Chapman in the eighth inning. In leagues that use holds, Rondon maintains most of his value. Otherwise, he can be dropped in shallow leagues and should be regarded as a back-end middle reliever in all other formats. —Mike Gianella

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Taldan9
7/26
When Chapman is on the mound when the Cubs win the Series, ending 100 years of futility, and it is his picture that becomes the symbol of the Cubs-forever-only then will Theo et al realize the magnitude of their error in selecting this unrepentant abuser as their team's centerpiece.
tomshipley75
7/26
I'm not trying to excuse Chapman or his actions, but just as an observation, I've noticed that the past-actions of Chapman and other athletes with checkered histories is only top-of-mind when they change teams and are absorbed into a new fan base.

If the scenario you describe does come true, I think people will see the Cubs winning the World Series, not the tarnished image of the Chicago Cubs on the mound if Chapman stays out of trouble.

Of course, seeing both is possible. But if Chapman does his job and is only in the news of positive, on-field exploits, his past will be just that if he helps the Cubs win the title.

Taldan9
7/26
A lot of fans are rather ignorant, then. Is that suppose to be a good attribute?
vic19x
7/27
At the end of the day players continually come and go, and all we really root for are colors.
pinkston
7/26
Maybe we can all be lucky and Arrieta throws a complete game shutout to win that day.
rbonacorsi
7/26
What would you say Chapman's FAAB Value in an NL-Only league with a $100 budget? Thanks.
oldbopper
7/26
When I first heard of the return the Yankees got for Chapman I was aghast, but, not so fast my friends, upon further review, it looks like there isn't much there except for Torres. Warren has had a tough season and McKinney, what can you say. I just read, little or no speed, power or arm. If he had not been a first round pick a few years ago that profile could easily put him in danger of dropping out of organized ball. Torres may be the Yankees SS of the future but that position is being manned, very capably, at this time by Didi Gregorius who is under control through 2018. Who knows, he might be there for 19 years also.
Muboshgu
7/26
McKinney can hit and the Yankees bought low on him.
rmhelgeson
7/26
The completion of this trade as turned this life-long Cubs fan into a former Cubs fan. I have chosen my conscience over my fandom and my loyalty through forty mostly rough years. One of the most exciting years in my baseball life suddenly became the saddest, as it now marks the end of a part of my identity.
tomshipley75
7/26
I get why you did this, but for me, one player isn't enough to give up my fandom. Chapman isn't enough to overpower the good that I think Joe Maddon brings to the team and community. Ditto Rizzo, Bryant, et al. The fact is, Chapman is allowed to play in MLB. Knowing the stakes, Epstein/Hoyer made a call and filled their biggest need with the best player available. I learned long-ago that there are a lot of unsavory people in professional sports. If you're going to be a fan of a team, this issue will inevitably pop up. I choose to dwell on the good about this Cubs team and hope that Chapman can turn a new leaf personally by joining it.
rmhelgeson
7/26
I hope Chapman can be a better person, too. And I will continue to support Cubs' charities and all of the good work done by the players. However, management's decision to place (a very small increased chance of) winning above setting a good example for that very same community. My disappointment with that decision is currently too much to overcome. I know there are lots of Chapmans in sports - I'm not naive - but my belief in making a stand and holding community leaders to a high standard precludes me (and only me, my choices are my own) from continuing to cheer for the Cubs.
Taldan9
7/26
I made a similar choice in VERY different circumstances, dropping the Toronto Maple Leafs, when, first, their elderly owner & his gf were seen riding naked on a clown train thru the arena; after that, it was revealed that horrific child abuse by an usher over decades had occurred in the Leaf's arena, including during games. I never went back.
kalimantan
7/26
On the facts as they are, the criticism of Chapman seems to be rather over-the-top. He had a row with his girlfriend, got angry, but he didn't beat her up, he beat up his garage instead. Not exactly an endearing trait, but the article and the comments suggest we have some kind of evil in our midst
Taldan9
7/26
Only Americans would omit/excuse gunplay
Taldan9
7/26
Read the police report: Chapman put both his hands around her neck and choked her until she passed out. For those of you who do not understand what this means, he was 30 seconds away from killing her. Then he got his gun and...went to pitch for the Cubs.
tnt9357
7/27
Not coincidentally, I just did read the report thanks to the link above, and it says no such thing. Quite the opposite, in fact. The gf had "no marks or redness on her neck", and she claimed that he put his hands around her neck but she was always able to breathe.

So one thing that has been established here is that you, sir or madam, have lied.
Taldan9
7/27
Interesting that you read a police report that cites choking & you interpret it as "it didn't happen". Did you read all 17 pages? Are you calling Chicagoland reporters citing choking as 'liars'? One thing that has been established-'Sir'-is that you are, sadly, inexperienced when it comes to police reports/criminal law/domestic violence, dtc.
tnt9357
7/27
You're the one who claimed it was in the police report, and I didn't see it. If it is in fact there, feel free to cite the page.
Taldan9
7/27
do your homework first, lazybones
tnt9357
7/28
LOL

"Player X has been *great* in the clutch this year!"
"Huh. I looked at all his PA in the game logs, and don't see anything particularly clutch. Was there a particular high-leverage situation you could point me to?"
"Do your homework first, lazybones"

Look, here's the link. Go see for yourself (beyond reading the number of pages off the Scribd widget, that is):

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/aroldis-chapman-s-girlfriend-alleged-he--choked--her--according-to-police-report-023629095.html?nf=1

This isn't Shakesville, honey, and I am not here to lend a sympathetic ear when I *know* what you said is bullshit because I *read* the police report you said it was in. Assertions about what's in the police reports should be backed up with...what's in the police reports.

BTW, what's in the report is bad enough: He shoved her! But "Chapman shoves girlfriend" isn't as sexy a headline as "Chapman allegedly chokes girlfriend". Much like the Rolling Stone reporter on UVA, you seem to want this to be the ultimate story of monstrosity that rallies everyone to fight against DV. Sorry to tell you that life isn't that simple.

But you seem to prefer the simple narrative of Chapman being a monster, so you make up an *easily refutable* story:

"Read the police report: Chapman put both his hands around her neck and choked her until she passed out."

(Pasted from four comments above because you seemingly can't be bothered to do research, lazybones)

Well, I had, and it doesn't say that. Seems pretty straightforward: You said something that wasn't true, I called you out on it, you've doubled down. Still doesn't make it true.

Thanks for wasting my time, liar. I could have been doing something more productive, like sleeping.
kalimantan
7/27
That has been discredited, all accounts now say that he didn't choke her and she didn't pass out. It seems that he got angry, almost did something that he would have regretted and went and beat up his garage instead. Not great to have that temper in the first place, but lets not pretend he did something that he didn't.

Its human nature to lose your temper now and again, my wife once chucked a mug at me in a row, made a right bump on my head, but I'm not about to cast her as some kind of pariah and domestic abuser. So Chapman may not be a nice human being, but to end supporting your team because they employ him? seems weird.

And this article was way over the top
Taldan9
7/27
How unfortunate-you are mistaken. Your is so ignorant in so many ways: "All accounts"-well, no, you are mistaken. Excusing domestic violence is shameful. "Beat up his garage"-is that a cf. to shooting his gun? Did you read the prior police reports...or are you just lazy?
kalimantan
7/27
I'm not excusing it, but I'm not going way over the top on this issue, everything I've read says the initial police reports weren't totally accurate and he never hit or choked her. I'm trying to keep some perspective here and recognise that everything is in shades. If screaming at someone, or kicking a chair, or punching a wall is domestic violence then most are guilty. Chapman went further than that, but not so much he should be made a pariah in my humble opinion. I accept others differ and respect that.

Yes, beat up his garage is a cf. to shooting his gun at the walls. Sounds mental to a non-american like me, but over there most of your countrymen think that shooting guns all over the place is completely normal, so I guess that's the equivalent of punching a door in stateside.
Taldan9
7/27
Since you seem not to understand this, it is typical for DV victims to enter a complaint and then withdraw. Enlightened law enforcement/judicial systems attempt to ignore so-called "false"-as in untrue-withdrawals. The system I work in does this frequently. The Chapman sequence sometimes ends in death.
Taldan9
7/26
He did beat his gf, o ignorant one.
Muboshgu
7/26
Yankees Shortstop Depth:

Didi Gregorius, Gleyber Torres, Jorge Mateo, Tyler Wade, Wilkerman Garcia, Abi Avelino, Thairo Estrada, Kyle Holder, Hoy Jun Park, Diego Castillo

Not bad.
aMcInturff
7/26
Great point, and very true. Especially when you just bin 'left side infielders' the Yankees system looks even deeper in this respect.

It's been a quieter story of the 2016 MiLB season--maybe because of how many current high-upside Yankees prospects are in the lower minors--but they've gone about accumulating prospect depth in a way they haven't in a long time.

Even this season, the non-complex league debuts of Garcias plural (Wilkerman and Dermis, both...), and Leonardo Molina boosted the group that could see Charleston next season. Then add in drafting Rutherford. Isiah Gillam, even, is another interesting Pulaski follow--and 2016 draftee Dom Thompson-Williams has some similarities (maybe a bit more of an athlete than Gillam, though with less power upside).
dandaman
7/26
I'm surprised you don't mention Dellin Betances value- I know he's still a set-up man, but he's one (very possible) trade away from becoming the closer in the Bronx. I'm psyched that I was just able to pick him up.
onegameref
7/26
I know it has been hashed over before, but wouldn't it be a good time to mention that the culture from which Chapman hails views domestic violence in a much different light? It in no way excuses his behavior and he will always be subject to American laws and standards when he resides here and works here. I was living in Davie when the Yankees were going through the exercise of deciding to bring Chapman into the fold. The Yankees appear to have come out smelling like a wilted rose in the two transactions and they can be happy with that. The Cubs have chosen to look at their desired ends and decided that the means are justified. I will never respect a man that physically attacks a female. Whether they are jailed or not is not my decision. I will remain a dedicated Cubs fan with the caveat that I don't like trades for relievers, in general, and their choice of who to hitch the cart to, in this case, is a poor reflection on the organization.
Taldan9
7/26
Can Chapman cross the border to play in Toronto without being questioned/arrested?
morro089
7/26
[Cubs fan] The more I sit with this trade the worse I feel. I've talked myself into the baseball portion of this trade enough to be content (still would say no), but I hate that he may be a symbol of the Cubs' creating history. I makes my stomach hurt. I'm also conflicted because I know I have this sick feeling for, what, 2% WS winning odds? Would I feel this way if it were 5%? 10%?

I'm not upset enough to say "no more Cub fandom" and wont stop watching, but I certainly won't buy a Chapman jersey shirt (I hope none do) and when it's November and I'm looking at paraphernalia I can't imagine buying any picture with him in it. I can't don't know if that's enough to shift the balance in front office's decisions going forward and I hate it.

Also, good point about the Yankees buying low, it seems obvious in hindsight like a win-win. Effectively Wild even brought up that if the suspension were 12 days longer they would've controlled him through 2017. But nobody will remember they benefited from domestic abuse.
sbnirish77
7/27
"Therefore, the Cubs acquired a man who has, at least once, committed domestic abuse. How in the world are we, as humans, meant to react to that?"

Your application to work at ESPN has been accepted.
dukeandduke
7/27
Yankees: Starlin Castro; Gleyber Torres; Billy McKinney; Rashad Crawford.

Cubs: Four months of Adam Warraen + Two Monts of Chapman.

Adam Cashman = Winning on and off the field.
Theo = Charlie Sheen's version of winning.

I understand he tutors Stephen Hawking as a side gig, but Theo's main contribution to the Cubs was tanking for years. His two big money acquisitions haven't exactly set the world on fire (quarter of a billion for Lester and Heyward).

Genius Joe may bring out llamas, but he has a losing playoff record in Tampa and Chicago.

Kyle Schwarber is a worse left fielder than Dave Kingman. Unless they teach him a knuckleball or Rizzo is hurt, or the DH is instituted in the NL, he has no Kyle has no position he can play on a regular basis.

Perhaps baseball can institute the College Football Poll System to finally hand the Cubs what they couldn't earn in over a century. Eamus Catuli.
BrewersTT
7/27
I wonder what sort of Cubs team would make you optimistic.
vic19x
7/27
In all fairness the Castro trade was also about unloading some salary to make room for Zobrist (granted, he hadn't yet signed with the Cubs but they were in hot pursuit). With McKinney the Yankees are definitely buying low, and as much as I liked the idea of Torres in the system he was still only way down at A+ ball. When you have excess currency it's easy to spend it, so calling it a "bad" trade is not putting it into perspective. It's still an organization stocked with talent and they added an impact arm that was sorely lacking. It may only be a "rental" but you can't horde your chip indefinitely. You have to pay to play.
Taldan9
7/27
Guess she ran out of the house & hid in the bushes until the police came for no reason. Guess you all missed the 5 prior police visits to Chapman's house. By the way, why don't rent your basement to him in Chicago. BTW, he needs extra room for his wonderful gun collection.
Taldan9
7/28
Theo had a choice-Chapman or another closer.
map2history
7/29
I read BP for reasons other than moral commentary. To the degree that Chapman's actions resulted in the Yanks acquiring him for a song, they are relevant. But the game is bigger than Chapman and his pimpled soul. Go back and you'll find KKK members, alcoholics, law-breakers, drunk-drivers, spouse abusers and other miscreants within the ranks not only of past MLB professionals but also within the HOF. Basically, the the legal system at least went through the motions (which is more than we can state about the NFL) and Chapman and his (ex?)girlfriend and baseball moved on. If the Yanks didn't get him, another franchise would have, and if the Cubs didn't trade for him, another would have, and so it goes. For those who would give up their fandom because of moral outrage I commend you, and hope that you are able to find a team composed of multiple individuals at some level of sports that conforms to your morality.
Taldan9
7/29
I refuse to celebrate/applaud cretins like Chapman. If you want to, go ahead. No one needs to be a saint, but Chapman's denial + celebrity is an insult. The denial rolling through these comments is just passive acceptance of domestic violence.
map2history
7/31
celebrate Aroldis? I refuse as well. I'm just pointing out that with sports, beginning at least at the HS level, you've either got to check your morality at the ticket office, or else begin rooting for a Tee Ball team. I find it interesting that, say, Mariano Rivera, for all his charitable works is measured on the basis of his stats. I don't hear too many fans stating that rooting for Mariano is tacit acceptance of charity.
jnossal
8/04
Chapman wasn't even charged with a crime, much less convicted of one. Maintaining the opinion that he should remain unemployed for the rest of his life over this incident smacks of supreme self-congratulation.

So, great, you win. You are a champion human being with compassion matched by none. Happy now?

"No one needs to be a saint". What a sanctimonious hypocrite you are.