Yankees trade rumors: Cubs discussing a trade for Aroldis Chapman

According to one source, Christopher Meola, the Yankees and Cubs are discussing a trade revolving around none other than Aroldis Chapman. Chapman, 28, was acquired by the Yankees in December for Eric Jagielo, Rookie Davis, Tony Renda, and Caleb Cotham. This occurred while Chapman was already under investigation for a domestic violence incident in which he ultimately received a 30-game suspension.

The Yankees have been eyeing to flip Chapman from the get-go, especially since he becomes a free agent at the end of this season. The Cubs, on the other hand, are a nearly perfect team in search of a final piece, and in terms of talent, Chapman is that guy. The Cubs' bullpen currently consists of Hector Rondon, Pedro Strop, Trevor Cahill, Travis Wood, and Justin Grimm. Adding Chapman would make them untouchable, essentially.

You might be asking what the Cubs have to offer. That's a pretty good question. They're obviously in win-now mode, so major league talent is going to be hard to come by. There's Javier Baez, who can play a few different positions and seems to be finally turning the corner, but I'm not sure the Cubs are ready to deal him for a rental. There's also Albert Almora, but once again, I'm not sure the Cubs would be willing to deal six years of team control for less than a season of Chapman. In terms of prospects, their farm system is starting to go dry, as is the case with most contenders. Gleyber Torres, Wilson Contreras, Ian Happ, and Billy McKinney are their best prospects, and even they might be too steep a price to pay for a reliever.

Nonetheless, I think this is a good thing. Chapman maybe adds a win or two in the short term, but the Yankees' bullpen is an immense strength already. Leveraging that strength to cover up future weaknesses might not be such a bad idea for a team that is a fringe contender to begin with.

Before we get too excited, though, keep in mind this is just a rumor. It's only one source, one that doesn't traditionally break news (even though he has at times), so I'm not going to get myself worked up about this until I hear it from a traditional news media source.

What do you think? Do you think the Yankees should trade Aroldis Chapman? What do you think would be a fair return?

Update:

Chapman rumors out there are completely false. Cubs are busy scouting arms, particularly relief, but haven't engaged in talks for Chapman

— Sahadev Sharma (@sahadevsharma) June 10, 2016

Well, there you go. That does it for this rumor, but I'm sure this won't be the last we hear of Chapman trade rumors.