The New York Yankees agreed to trade hard-throwing closer Aroldis Chapman to the Chicago Cubs on Monday afternoon in exchange for four players, according to multiple news outlets.
The deal was first reported by FanRag Sports and made official by the clubs around 2:30 p.m.
The Yankees will receive Gleyber Torres, Adam Warren, Billy McKinney and Rashad Crawford.
Chapman is 3-0 with a 2.01 ERA, 44 strikeouts and 20 for 21 in save attempts for the Yankees after serving a 30-game suspension under MLB’s domestic violence policy earlier this season. Chapman is the left-handed, late-inning reliever the club was seeking to add in its quest for its first World Series title since 1908. The Cubs will be on the hook for the remainder of Chapman’s $11.33 million salary.
The Yankees acquired Chapman, who holds the major-league record for fastest pitch (105.1 mph), in December from the Cincinnati Reds for minor leaguers Rookie Davis, Eric Jagielo, Tony Renda and Caleb Cotham.
Torres, a 19-year-old shortstop from Venezuela at the Class-A level, is the centerpiece for the Yankees haul, as he is the Cubs’ top-ranked prospect, according to Baseball America. He was No. 27 on its midseason Top 100
Warren, who is 3-2 with a 5.91 ERA in 29 games this season with the Cubs, now returns to the Yankees, who sent him to Chicago as part of the Starlin Castro trade at the 2015 trade deadline.
McKinney, 21, is at the Double-A level and was part of the 2014 trade that brought Addison Russell to Chicago from Oakland.
Crawford, a 22-year-old outfielder, was an 11th-round pick by the Cubs in 2012.
According to FoxSports’ Ken Rosenthal, the Yankees attempted to extend Chapman last month, but Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported the southpaw wishes to test the market when he becomes a free agent following this season.
Chapman has 165 saves over the past five seasons with the Reds and Yankees.
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