As we head into a new year, the biggest story in baseball is
the recent
trade the New York Yankees made to obtain flame-throwing closer Aroldis
Chapman from the Cincinnati Reds. Typically, such a move would be all about
a playoff-caliber team adding a lockdown hurler whose fastball routinely
exceeds 100 MPH, and who strikes out batters at a historic
rate. Instead, unresolved domestic
abuse allegations raise serious questions as to whether the trade should
have been made at all.
Before we get into it, let’s establish a couple of things. First,
the 27-year-old lefty has been sensational on the mound since defecting from
Cuba and joining the Reds in 2010. In six major league seasons, he has combined
for a 2.17 ERA, 146 saves and a mind-blowing 546 strikeouts in 319 innings,
while allowing just 169 hits. Adding him to a New York bullpen that already
boasts power arms like Andrew Miller
and Dellin
Betances all but locks down the final three innings of games. It is a
potentially historic bullpen.
Second, although Chapman has been accused of a domestic
violence incident from earlier in the year, he has denied the bulk of the
charges. Florida police declined to bring charges due to inconsistencies in
witness statements, but Major League Baseball is still conducting its own
internal investigation. Until then he has the right of the presumption of
innocence.
While Chapman’s culpability has yet to be determined, the
Yankees’ decision to trade for him is highly questionable. Clearly, the
temptation to bring in a pitcher of his caliber, at what was admittedly a discounted
price because of present circumstances, was a motivating factor. But, at
what cost was this decision made?
Domestic violence is a scourge that continues to plague our
society, with high-profile incidents popping up at an unfortunate rate among
professional athletes. In the past couple of years, outraged responses to NFL
stars Ray
Rice and Greg
Hardy receiving perceived light punishments for their own domestic abuse cases
have dominated headlines. Professional football has continued to flounder with
the issue, struggling to get their response in line with public expectations
and perception. Accordingly, scrutiny has intensified with each passing
incident.
That all being said, it’s important Chapman receive due
process. However, questioning his trade isn’t punishing him in advance. Barring
a suspension, he will still be paid the same salary (he is arbitration
eligible, but should make a good deal more than the $8.05 million he made in
2015) barring any suspension. Asking these questions is wondering why a team
would want to get involved with a player embroiled in such serious charges. It’s
wondering why a business would make a decision that seems to value a bottom
line (wins) over doing the right thing. The Yankees indicated
they did their diligence in evaluating the situation before finalizing the
move, but barring the outcome of the investigation, how reliable can their own
findings be?
Chapman has only one year to go until hitting free agency.
It can be said that New York took only a modest
risk from a baseball standpoint by sending four middling prospects to see
if he and his troubles pan out. But that’s only if you take the humanity out of
the situation.
Major League Baseball and the Yankees undoubtedly have
numerous fans who have either been domestic abuse victims or know someone who
has. It’s not easy to shake the bad taste in trading for someone still under
the weight of such allegations. If they were to be questioned (and they
already are by a City Council Speaker) as to why they made such a choice,
it’s hard to imagine any reasonable non-baseball response.
Of course, many fans will downplay the seriousness of it
all. They’ll hang their hats on the fact that there are just allegations at
this point. No conviction or official finding of wrong doing. Of course they’d
be right but then there are some things that should be left to play out before
making the decision as to what you are and are not comfortable living with.
If the Yankees had declined to go after Chapman, they wouldn’t
have been the first team to do so this offseason. The Los Angeles Dodgers
already reportedly
nixed a trade for the reliever after the allegations surfaced. In baseball, the
acquiring top-notch pitching truly is an arms race. This continues to be borne
out by seeing exactly what teams are willing to do to get the top talent.
The MLB investigation will eventually conclude. Until then,
no assumptions should be made. However, waiting for a resolution before trading
for Chapman seems like a reasonable and appropriate expectation. Taking such a
stance could cost a team his services but it’s hard to place a price on
integrity. For years, the Yankees have stood for success, tradition and class.
Hopefully, their most recent trade won’t tarnish that reputation.
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You can check me out on Facebook or follow me on Twitter @historianandrew
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