The Cincinnati Reds have finally pulled the trigger on trading closer Aroldis Chapman. His new home? The Los Angeles Dodgers, where Chapman will presumably form a dynamic 8th & 9th inning combo with incumbent closer Kenley Jansen.
BREAKING: #Dodgers agree to acquire Chapman from #Reds for two prospects. Deal is pending review of medical records, sources say.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 7, 2015
Both Chapman and Jansen are free agents after the 2016 season. In 66 1/3 innings during the 2015 season, Chapman saved 33 games for the Reds and blew just three saves, striking out 116, walking 33, and pitching to a 1.63 ERA. His 2.5 fWAR ranked second among all relief pitchers in baseball last year, and since Chapman made his major league debut in 2010, the only reliever to surpass his 11.4 fWAR is Craig Kimbrel, now of the Red Sox. No pitcher, not even Kimbrel, struck out a higher percentage of the batters he faced than Chapman’s 42.9% since his debut.
Jansen isn’t exactly a slouch himself. In 2015, he threw 52 1/3 innings, saved 36 games, blew just two saves, struck out 80, walked only eight, and pitched to a 2.41 ERA. Since his 2010 debut, only Chapman and Kimbrel have struck out a higher percentage of hitters than Jansen’s 39.4%, and those are also the only two relievers with a higher fWAR than Jansen’s 10.6.
However, can the two men coexist in Los Angeles? It might not be that easy.
Players who know Jansen do not believe he would react well if he lost closer’s job with #Dodgers set to acquire Chapman. Stay tuned.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 7, 2015
The immediate return for the Reds isn’t known, but it does *not* include any of the Dodgers’ top three prospects – Corey Seager, Julio Urias, or Jose De Leon.
Chapman deal is agreed to with dodgers. 2 prospects to reds. (not seager, urias or deleon). Pending medicals
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 7, 2015
The rebuild in continues in Cincinnati, and in Los Angeles, the post-Greinke era has begun with a roar.
