Chicago Cubs: Who won the Aroldis Chapman for Gleyber Torres Trade?
In July 2016, Chicago Cubs general manager Theo Epstein pulled off an incredibly gutsy trade. Nearly two years later we evaluate who won the deal.
It was July 24, 2016, and the Chicago Cubs were firing on all cylinders. The team stood 7.5 games ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Central. They were 59-38 overall and held the best record in Major League Baseball.
The city of Chicago was bustling with excitement that 2016 could finally be the year. Most analysts had the Cubs as the favorite to represent the National League in the World Series, if not win the whole thing. Needless to say, the team and fans were feeling pretty good about their position.
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However, one person was lurking in the background, not particularly sold on the team’s composition. Having previously brought two titles to a World Series-starved city in Boston, Theo Epstein knew how to build a championship team.
Although Keith Foulke was not heavily used in the Boston Red Sox’s 2004 World Series sweep, the team leaned on Jonathan Papelbon in their 2007 win against the Colorado Rockies. Not only that, but Epstein had a front-row seat to the dominating career of Mariano Rivera. He saw firsthand what an elite closer can do for a team’s World Series aspirations.
With that in mind, the stars were aligning and an elite closer was emerging on the trade market. Although the Cubs were 7.5 games in first, the Yankees found themselves 7.5 games behind the Red Sox. For the first time in eons, the Yankees were sellers at the trade deadline. Epstein capitalized on the Yankees desire to rebuild their farm system by selling off some valuable veteran pieces.
One such player was Aroldis Chapman. So on July 25th, Epstein executed a deal that sent prospect Gleyber Torres and Adam Warren to the New York Yankees for Chapman. The rest, as they say, is history as the Cubs went on to erase 108 years of frustration. As we sit two-years removed from that epic deal, we ask who won the trade?