Cubs acquire Chapman from Yankees

The Cubs sent four players to the New York Yankees to acquire the best available relief pitcher on baseball’s trade market Monday – but not before having three top team officials talk with Chapman about his sizeable off-the-field baggage. Those players are Single-A prospect Gleyber Torres, reliever Adam Warren and Double-A prospect Billy McKinney, while CSN’s Patrick Mooney reported Single-A prospect Rashad Crawford is the fourth man going to NY.

Chapman fills one of the few remaining holes on a loaded Chicago roster – that of an experienced left-handed late-inning reliever – as the first-place Cubs improve their chances to win their first World Series title since 1908. Those two players, like Chapman, are eligible free agents at season’s end.

The 28-year-old Chapman went 3-0 with a 2.01 ERA and 20 saves in 31 games for NY. Both have performed exceedingly well this year – Montgomery with a 3-4 record and 2.34 ERA, and Chapman a 3-0 record with 20 saves and a 2.01 ERA – and figure to both play major roles down the stretch and into the postseason.

Chapman has been the subject of intense interest as the Yankees seem to be willing to be sellers as the trade deadline approaches. The shortstop has spent the season with Single-A Myrtle Beach, batting.275/.359/.433 with nine home runs, 47 RBI, 62 runs scored, and 19 stolen bases in 409 plate appearances.

I regret that I did not exercise better judgment and for that I am truly sorry.

The Yankees will get four prospects, led by Gleyber Torres, in exchange for Aroldis Chapman joining the Cubs.

The Cubs originally acquired Warren in an earlier trade with the Yankees that sent Starlin Castro to NY.

Chicago now has a 7 ½ game lead in the NL Central over the St. Louis Cardinals. He has struggled mightily this year at the plate, but he is still just 21 years old. Cuban shortstop Anibal Sierra will receive a $1.5 million signing bonus as part of his minor-league contract with the Astros.

The Yankees got some nice foundation building prospects back from the Chicago Cubs in the Chapman deal. Heading into the 2016 season, McKinney was ranked in Baseball America’s, MLB.com’s, and BaseballProspectus.com’s top-100 prospects in baseball. The right-hander went 3-2 with a 5.91 ERA in 29 games this season with the Cubs.

The trade reunites Warren with Yankees pitching coach Larry Rothschild.