The Chapman Trade

I read kind of an interesting article about the Chapman/Torres trade, referenced here: hehttp://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/2017/1/28/14422404/gleyber-torres-trade-yankees-cubs-aroldis-chapman-andrew-millerre.  The gist of the piece is that, in retrospect, the Cubs were taken.  Sure, they got the dominant relief pitcher they craved to win the Worls Series, but, again in hindsight, they gave up a star prospect in Torres and the Yankees wound up eventually with both Torres and Chapman.

Hard to argue with that reasoning, though it should be pointed out that the Cubs did win the Series and that, potential superstar or not, they have two All-Star shortstops on the team already under their control for the next five years.

At the time, I didn't like the deal, not so much because they gave up Torres, but more because it did not look like they needed Chapman for other than pyschological or confidence building purposes.  As it turned out, because of injuries to Rondon and Strop, they really did need that big gun to bolster the bullpen.

This kind of one up trade of a prospect for the major chip that changes the game short-term has become a bit of a pattern for the Cubs.  Vogelbach for Montgomery was a no-brainer.  Soler for Davis, probably worthwhile, but still a player with a potentially big future for a rental with some issues.  The verdict on that one, in my mind, is a little less clear.