Unable to pry Andrew Miller out of The Bronx and refusing to part with Kyle Schwarber, the Cubs are willing to deal minor league stud shortstop Gleyber Torres to the Yankees for Aroldis Chapman.
According to a person with knowledge of the situation, the Cubs and Yankees have been engaged in heavy discussions that put the NL Central leaders ahead of the Nationals and Indians in the race to secure Chapman’s 105-mph fastball.
Torres, 19 and the Cubs’ top prospect, was scratched from the Single-A Myrtle Beach lineup Sunday, leading to speculation the deal was close to being completed. There would be other players from the Cubs side. Switch-hitting third baseman Jeimer Candelario, who has appeared in five games for the Cubs this season, could be included. The 22-year-old, who was born in New York and moved to the Dominican Republic when he was 5, is hitting .247 with seven homers in 91 games between Double-A and Triple-A. Former Yankees right-hander Adam Warren could also be in the deal.
It’s not a surprise the Cubs emerged as the favorite to land Chapman. They had multiple scouts following the Yankees for the last month.
The deal would be viewed in some circles as the Yankees surrendering in the AL East race, where they are in fourth place and 7 ½ lengths back of the first-place Orioles and 4 ½ games back of the Blue Jays for the second AL wild-card spot. However, with Dellin Betances and Miller, the Yankees would still have two of the best late-game relievers in baseball if not the Holy Trinity Of Smoke. In addition to landing a top prospect, there is the possibility of Chapman signing back with the Yankees in the offseason after he becomes a free agent.
Playing for Myrtle Beach, Torres is 3 ½ years younger than the Carolina League average and not over-matched. In 94 games this season, the 6-foot, 175-pounder from Venezuela is batting .275 (98-for-356) with nine homers, 47 RBIs and a .791 OPS. He also has a .359 on-base percentage.
In 270 minor league games across four years, the right-handed hitting Torres is a .285 hitter with a .765 OPS.
With Didi Gregorius blossoming into an elite two-way shortstop and Jorge Mateo, the Yankees’ best prospect, also a shortstop, it’s possible Torres could eventually shift to second. Mateo has played some second base this season for Single-A Tampa.
Chapman was in the dark concerning any deal after Sunday’s 5-2 win over the Giants that sent the Yankees on an eight-game road trip after a 6-4 ledger on the critical 10-game homestand.
“There’s a lot of rumors and stuff out there right now. I don’t have any information, but my agent did say that they’re talking. But that’s all I have,” Chapman said through an interpreter.
The 28-year-old Chapman served a 30-game suspension at the beginning of the season for violating MLB’s domestic violence policy during the offseason. He said he would be open to returning to the Yankees as a free agent.
“Oh yeah, there’s a possibility and that willingness,” said Chapman, who is 3-0 with a 2.01 ERA in 31 games and has converted 20-of-21 save chances. In 31 ¹/₃ innings he has whiffed 44, walked eight and given up 20 hits. “I don’t think about that stuff. I concentrate on my job, and when I go out there to pitch, that’s what I need to focus on. That’s something I have no control of. If the team wants to trade me, they have the last say.
“It’s tough. I feel comfortable here. I feel like part of the family here. Being traded halfway into the season is not as comfortable as starting there. It’s tough.”
— Additional reporting by Fred Kerber