So, Who's Gonna Trade for Aroldis Chapman?

Published on 12-Nov-2015 by Alan Adamsson

MLB    MLB Daily Update

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So, Who's Gonna Trade for Aroldis Chapman?

There's a famous story told about Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner.

Back in his day, of course, there was no free agency. Players were bound to their teams whether they had a contract or not.

So the legendary Pittsburgh Pirate didn't have much bargaining power after the 1952 season, when he led the National League with 37 homers. Kiner was one of the few bright lights for a woeful Bucs club that finished 42-112.

Still, the slugger asked GM Branch Rickey for a pay raise, whereupon the just-as-legendary Rickey denied the request with a simple retort:

We finished last with you. We can finish last without you.

Whereupon Kiner was shipped to the woeful Cubs.

This winter, if being shipped to the Cubs was Aroldis Chapman's fate, he'd no doubt welcome it.

Next season, the Cincinnati Reds will likely prove they can finish last without him or any of his teammates whose careers won't project strongly in 3-4 years.

Chapman's got one year left on his contract at $10million, so he was a hot topic at this week's GM meetings in Boca Raton.

There was lotsa talk with the Astros, Yankees, and Diamondbacks last summer prior to the 31 Jul non-waiver trade deadline. And now?

  • Word is the Diamondbacks are still ready to take their chances on one season's worth of heat,
  • The 'Stros have the prospects to offer, but the Reds' shopping list may be more than Houston wants to pay,
  • The Yankees are considering unloading starters for prospects this winter, so they may have pulled back,
  • The Red Sox are in the mix because the Yankees are being mentioned, and
  • The Dodgers don't have a spending limit, so their name should pop up sooner or later.