The Yankees’ bullpen gets even stronger with the addition of Aroldis Chapman
After having a trade to the Dodgers fall through, Aroldis Chapman was moved from the Reds this winter, moving to the Yankees for 2016. Legal issues aside, Chapman would join with Andrew Miller and Dellin Betances to make one of the most formidable bullpen trios in MLB history. Each of the three struck out 100 or more batters during the 2015 season, the only pitchers to record 100 strikeouts out of the bullpen last season. The Yankees were able to get the Reds’ ace closer for minor league pitchers Caleb Cotham and Rookie Davis and minor league infielders Eric Jagielo and Tony Renda.
The fantasy impact of this trade must be assessed.
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Fantasy Impact
There is little argument on Chapman’s impact since coming to America, as he has a 2.17 ERA and averaged 15.4 strikeouts per nine over his 319 innings with Cincinnati since 2010. Becoming the full-time closer for the Reds in 2012, Chapman has been an All-Star in each season, saving 145 games and devastating batters to the tune of a 0.96 WHIP. After a bit of a jump in ERA from 1.51 in 2012 to 2.54 in 2013, his ERA has dropped over each of the last two seasons, down to 1.63 in 2015.
Speed is Chapman’s game, and he has an average velocity on his fastball of 98.8 for his career, averaging 99.5 miles per hour on fastballs in 2015. His reliance on his slider as a secondary pitch waned a bit in 2015, dropping from 25% in 2014 to 16.8% in 2015, and he added in a changeup a bit more last season while piling on even more fastballs. He will walk far too many batters, 4.37 per nine for his career, but his enhanced usage of his fastball-changeup mix saw his strand rate jump to 88.5% in 2015.
He has pitched three times at Yankee Stadium in his career, allowing a run and losing a game in 2013. But he also has a save and four strikeouts in 2 1/3 innings at his new home. His lack of interleague experience with his new foes is also apparent, as he only has one career save against the other four teams in the AL East, and has a 9.66 ERA in 4 2/3 innings. Also scary for the Yankees is that Chapman had a 1-6 record with a 5.23 ERA in 32 games against AL teams in interleague play, although he did register 55 strikeouts in 31 innings pitched.
Fantasy owners must also assess Chapman’s potential suspension as a part of his 2016 outlook. Although the legal case was dropped in relation to his choking of his girlfriend and firing eight gun shots, Major League Baseball may come down hard on the new Yankee closer, potentially seeing him miss a considerable amount of time at the beginning of the season.
The fantasy impact of Chapman to the Yankees is huge, as the Yankees will compete for the playoffs and Chapman has a chance at 40+ saves, especially with sure setup men in Miller and Betances.
The legal issues are the catch for Chapman. If he misses considerable time, it is tough to see him as the top RP, which he would have been a candidate for without the snag for legal issues. The best advice is to draft both Chapman and whoever the Yankees pick as his backup while he is suspended. Combining either Miller or Betances with Chapman could make for the top RP for 2016.
Chris Zolli is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Chris, check out his archive and follow him @thezman2010.
