On the first day of the 2015 Winter Meetings the Los Angeles Dodgers struck an agreement with the Cincinnati Reds to acquire Aroldis Chapman. Their plan was to pair the electric left-hander with fellow dominant closer Kenley Jansen.
It was an unconventional, but formidable strategy. But a report surfaced detailing Chapman’s involvement in an alleged domestic violence incident, putting the trade on hold. Uncertain of what the future held for Chapman, Los Angeles called off the trade.
The Reds eventually traded their closer to the New York Yankees, and Chapman served a 30-game suspension. He finished the season hoisting the World Series trophy with the Chicago Cubs.
Now Chapman, along with Jansen and Mark Melancon, is expected to sign a record contract for a relief pitcher. Naturally, Dodgers have been linked to Chapman and Jansen.
According to Joel Sherman of The New York Post, some within the organization view Chapman as the superior option:
They have officials who see him as the better long-term bet over Jansen
While the Dodgers were weary of moving forward with their trade last winter, a recent report indicated the club views Chapman in high regard. He converted 36 saves this season with a 1.55 ERA and averaged 14 strikeouts per nine innings to go with a 40.5 percent strikeout rate.
The San Francisco Giants, Washington Nationals and Yankees are among the teams with interest in the three closers. One Giants official went so far as to boldly project his club would sign one of Chapman, Jansen or Melancon.
Should the Dodgers land Chapman that presumably would push Jansen to another team and net the Dodgers a compensatory draft pick as they extended the one-year, $17.2 million qualifying offer to the right-hander.
