Has The Time Come?

The time has come that we have all been anticipating ever since the trade on Dec 28, 2015 which sent Aroldis Chapman from the Reds to the Yankees with the Yankees returning Rookie Davis, Eric Jagielo, Tony Renda, and Caleb Cotham to Cincinnati. The Yankees got Chapman as apart of a "steal" as some would say since they paid such little in return for such an elite reliever, The price for Chapman stooped to such a low due to Domestic Violence allegations which forced him to sit out the first 30 games of the 2016 season for the Yankees and miss such a vital portion of the season. As of today the New York Yankees hold a record of 50-48 and currently sit 7.5 games back of the First Place Baltimore Orioles. Aroldis is currently sporting a 2.01 ERA and is 20/21 in Save Opportunities. This season has pretty much gone to waste which solidifies the Yankees as sellers.

The first move on the Yankees apparent trade list is moving Closer Aroldis Chapman which has been in all sports news headlines for weeks now and with talks heating up in the past few days we might have come to a conclusion to the Chapman sweepstakes. The madness first started midday Today, Sunday July 24,2016 when Cubs Shortstop Gleyber Torres was scratched from Tonights lineup at High-A Myrtle Beach. Gleyber has been a prospect that has stuck out to the Yankees for a while as everyone knows how much they love their young SS. In 2016 Torres is currently batting .275 with 9 HR 47 RBI and 19 SB in High-A for the Cubs. The 19 year old is currently the #1 ranked prospect in the Cubs system and is ranked as the #24 prospect in all of Baseball according to MLB.com so that is a reason the Yankees are very high on him. Many analysts believe that within the next two years that Torres could reach the Top 5 prospect list in all of baseball because he just has such pure raw talent.

Now we get to the rumored trade... The two constant names we are hearing in all reports are Aroldis Chapman and Gleyber Torres. We know that other pieces are involved in this proposed trade but no one can seem to figure out the exact players being exchanged. Rumored players being thrown around from the Yankees side are RP Andrew Miller, SP Michael Pineda, SP Nathan Eovaldi, SP Ivan Nova, and RF Carlos Beltran. Names being thrown around on the Cubs side are OF Jorge Soler, OF Kyle Schwarber, RP Adam Warren, and 3B Jeimer Candelario. A trade involving any of these players listed could be considered as a blockbuster with all of the talent being exchanged between the two teams.

As per Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan, The trade is looking likelier but still not finalized, Torres is one of the multiple pieces that have been agreed upon as part of the deal.

We should get some clarification to these rumors tomorrow and see if whether or not Aroldis Chapman is on his way to the Windy City and we will see what the Yankees will be getting in return for the elite closer.

USA Today’s Weekly MLB Power Rankings

These rankings have been coming out later and later in the week for whatever reason and if you are a fan of them I have to apologize. I can only bring them to you when the USA Today brings them to me unless I start doing my own rankings. I may do that but for now I bring you another week’s worth of MLB Power Rankings from the USA Today. Last week the crew over there at the USA Today were not impressed with the Yankees beating up on the Minnesota Twins but would they be impressed with the team taking three-out-of-four from the first place Cleveland Indians before sending three of their own to the 2016 MLB All Star Game?

In a word, no. The Yankees finished last week’s rankings at the #19 position in the league and that is exactly where they sit this week as well. No movement for the Yankees but that happens a lot the farther you get into a season. The more of a sample size the less you see big jumps and falls and the harder it is to truly gain some ground on your opponents. Opponents like the Baltimore Orioles who finished the week ranked 6^th overall, the Boston Red Sox who finished 7^th, the Toronto Blue Jays who finished 8^th and the Tampa Bay Rays who finished 27^th overall.

The biggest rise of the week went to the Pittsburgh Pirates who are making a run rising four spots to the #14 position. Meanwhile the exact opposite can be said about the Detroit Tigers who got ran all over this week falling four spots to the #15 position overall.

The Top Five teams got a bit of a shake up this week as the Chicago Cubs are no longer atop the list but the San Francisco Giants are. The Cubs finished 2^nd overall followed by the Washington Nationals, Texas Rangers and Cleveland Indians. The five worst teams in the rankings are the Oakland Athletics, the Tampa Bay Rays, the Minnesota Twins, the Cincinnati Reds and the Atlanta Braves. Not what you want if you’re one of the latter five teams.

So let me get this straight. The Indians are 5^th and they lost three-of-four to the Yankees with some of their best pitching on the mound and New York doesn’t move up at all? Not even one slot? Call me bias but I’ll counter by calling “BS” on that one. Oh well, these rankings and a buck get you a Coke these days.