Should Dodgers Trade For Aroldis Chapman?
By Pablo Jacobo
Over the weekend MLB Insider Jon Morosi mentioned preliminary trade discussions between the Cincinnati Reds and the Washington Nationals involving their closer Aroldis Chapman. According to Morosi, no deal is imminent.
Sources: Aroldis Chapman has been the subject of trade discussions between #Nats and #Reds. No deal is close. @FOXSports
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) June 12, 2015
My question, should the Los Angeles Dodgers be perusing around to snag Chapman away? The Dodgers bullpen has posed problems in the past few seasons. It has cost them games and it may be time to bring in another experienced arm to shore up their relief options.
The Dodgers’ organization brought in a number of arms on one-year deals hoping to find some value for their buck. Surprisingly the 2015 bullpen for LA is 7th in the entire league with a 3.06 ERA. But honestly tell me, do you trust it come playoff time? The pen has already blown 10 saves this season.
Their 61.54 save percentage is a concern for a team that has lost two starting pitchers for the season. Hyun-Jin Ryu and Brandon McCarthy will not pitch again this year. Joel Peralta, Paco Rodriguez, Pedro Baez and Brandon League are shelved at the moment. The relievers have only 16 saves on the year.
Despite the borderline .500 save percentage, the Dodgers (37-27) are top of the NL West. Cincinnati on the other hand, is 14 games behind first place and may be sellers at the July trade deadline if they continue to drop. The Reds’ top players like Johnny Cueto, Mike Leake and Chapman may be on the block.
Imagine a devastating one-two punch of Chapman and Kenley Jansen in the 8th and 9th inning for Los Angeles. Two relievers in their primes closing out games at Chavez Revine. The Dodgers have been searching for a bridge to Jansen for a while now. Two hard-throwing arms with an impressive fastball that would take so much pressure off LA’s starters. Both throw over 90 MPH lasers and are strikeout machines.
Jansen has only participated in 11 games since returning from the DL but has already saved 9 games. He’ll be back to his dominant form in no time. Especially with the Dodgers high-powered offense, I know they’re slumping right now, but they still lead in nearly every offensive statistical category. LA is going to have to win close games especially since they’ve been dominated by the Giants and Cardinals.
Chapman’s line this season is pretty impressive for only 28 IP, he has a 2.22 ERA, 47K’s, .194 AVG and a 1.34 WHIP. He’s saved 13/14 games on a Reds team that has 28 wins. He’s scheduled to be a free agent after 2016 after he signed a one-year deal in 2015 for $8.05 million.
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Chapman won’t come cheap as he still carries tremendous value. The Nationals have one of the best starting rotations in baseball and have one of the best closers in Drew Storen. They seem open to the idea, so why can’t the Dodgers? The security blanket of Chapman and Jansen closing out games for Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke come playoff time, tell me that doesn’t sound great.
Brett Anderson, Mike Bolsinger and Carlos Frias have been solid for the Dodgers but how much more secure would Dodger fans feel knowing that the Cuban Missile and and Kenley are waiting in the back to put the opposition to rest?
How much would the Dodgers have to sacrifice to pry the 27-year-old leftie from Cincy? I imagine a lot, but would LA build a package around slugger Alex Guerrero? The 28-year-old 3B can’t even crack Don Mattingly’s starting lineup. This is a hypothetical scenario, as I’m sure the Reds are going to ask for the world for Chapman. We may have to wait till July to gauge Chapman’s value as the deadline gets closer.
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If it’s going to cost the Dodgers Joc Pederson, Corey Seager or Julio Urias then walk away. Perhaps move on to perhaps a pricier Jonathan Papelbon, which shouldn’t cost LA their top-tier prospects. Papelbon has a 1.05 ERA and 30K’s for the Phillies. They could just focus on acquiring starting pitching instead.
The Dodgers could go after some veteran arms like Cueto and/or Scott Kazmir to reinforce their rotation. Meaning they would be putting their faith in the returning relievers of League, Peralta, Rodriguez and Baez and restore balance to the bullpen. You be the judge.
LA’s title hopes hinge on reliable pitching. They have two Cy Young winners as their aces and I think two outstanding closers would be nice to have in their arsenal.