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Cubs make it easier to win, harder to cheer for them with Aroldis Chapman trade
Tuesday’s Say Hey, Baseball includes the uncomfortable nature of the Aroldis Chapman trade, the market for relievers, and an early morning trade.
Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images
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The Cubs had about all the sympathy a baseball team can get from other fan bases. You might have heard, at some point, that they haven’t won a World Series since 1908 — even baseball fans who aren’t a fan of the team, but want to root for a good story, can feel OK about pulling for the Cubs if their own team is out of it. Chicago made that a little harder, though, by trading for Aroldis Chapman on Monday. They didn’t make the possibility of winning harder — in fact, Chapman is great on the field and will help out their bullpen both now and in the postseason — but they did make rooting for a Cubs’ World Series championship more difficult.
Chapman wasn’t arrested for choking his girlfriend and firing a gun eight times in his garage in anger, but he was suspended by Major League Baseball after their own investigation of this domestic violence. Not being charged or arrested does not mean Chapman is innocent, in the same way Jose Reyes was still suspended even though the charges were dropped against him: domestic violence is not as simple as was or wasn’t arrested or convicted — in fact, there are myriad reasons why domestic violence isn’t even reported, never mind brought to court, or why, like in these two cases, the victim didn’t cooperate. And, before you think Chapman is remorseful and working toward becoming a better person so everything is rainbows and puppies and baby tigers, it’s not like he was cooperative or apologetic, either.
Domestic violence is quickly normalized and brushed off in sports, and the cynicism of teams like the Yankees and Cubs has been and very well could be rewarded. The Yankees and Cubs have both agreed that business and profit are more important than real-life concerns, and they aren’t alone in this — there’s a very good chance your team was interested in acquiring Aroldis Chapman, too. Well, at least now that his suspension is up, anyway — you have to make sure you’re getting full value for your domestic abusers. If the Chapman trade makes you feel uncomfortable, then you’re giving it more thought than the Cubs and Yankees claim to have. If only more fans and front offices agreed with you.
- With Chapman on the Cubs, will the Nationals now make a play for Andrew Miller?
- The cost of the Chapman trade should give you an idea of how hosed the Giants are in their search for bullpen upgrades.
- Wade Davis isn’t going to come cheap if the Royals deal him this summer.
- Pinstripe Alley writes that the Chapman trade signals a change in philosophy for Yankees’ leadership, but also reminds you that New York exploited domestic violence to add prospects.
- The Red Sox are unlikely to trade for Chris Sale, but if they were, it would cost them one of Andrew Benintendi or Yoan Moncada as the centerpiece of a much larger package. Which would make more sense to move from Boston’s perspective?
- The Dodgers are reportedly willing to deal Julio Urias if it got them Chris Sale.
- Speaking of Sale, a White Sox fan taped up his jersey to make it look like it had been knifed apart.
- This kid didn’t even realize he was playing ball with a major leaguer.
- The Blue Jays and Padres made an early morning trade, with Melvin Upton Jr. heading to Toronto for a low-minors prospect.
- The Orioles traded Jake Arrieta to the Cubs, and it was bad. It apparently could have been worse, though.
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