Dodgers reportedly trade for Aroldis Chapman

The Dodgers might have missed out on Zack Greinke, but that just gave them an excuse to add elsewhere. First it was Hisashi Iwakuma in the rotation, and now, they are reportedly finishing up a trade for Reds’ closer Aroldis Chapman. According to Ken Rosenthal, it’s still awaiting medicals, but Cincinnati will receive two prospects for their bullpen ace.

The Dodgers already have Kenley Jansen as their closer, and he’s been successful in that role the last four years. Adding Chapman with him around does come off as a little odd, but Chapman is a free agent after 2016, and so is Jansen, so it’s not as if Los Angeles needs to displace their current closer for a year then place him back in the role for 2017. Plus, now their eighth and ninth innings are going to be nearly impossible for opposing lineups.

Chapman has allowed fewer than five hits per nine for his career, and has done so while pitching in a hitter-friendly home park. He’s going to walk batters, but he strikes out far, far more of them, and the walks often lead to nothing since no one makes any contact worth writing about against him. Having that as the follow-up to finally getting Jansen out of the game is unfair, but it’s exactly the kind of thing that could have preserved the Dodgers’ playoff run in 2015 for a little longer, when their bullpen could not keep the leads their rotation managed to create.

The Reds are in the midst of trying to rebuild, and Chapman’s impending free agency made him their most attractive option. While at first, their demands scared away teams like the Red Sox -- who would go out and get Craig Kimbrel instead -- eventually they were going to find a taker for the final season of Chapman they controlled. It’s unlikely they’re finished making moves, either, as they still have both Jay Bruce and Todd Frazier available for trade.

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