For Better or Worse, the Yankees' Gamble on Aroldis Chapman Paid Off

From now until October ends, the baseball world will have a chance to debate the potentially nauseating question of what moral impact the Chicago Cubs trading for Aroldis Chapman has had on their otherwise feel-good attempt at World Series glory. Was it worth it, people are going to ask, selling your soul in order to win for the first time since 1908? Reality is more nuanced, but such questions already have been percolating on Planet Cubs, ever since trade rumors with the New York Yankees started to heat up. Shortly after the trade was announced, Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts issued a statement:

Aroldis Chapman and Tom Ricketts issue statements on domestic violence incident. Trying to get out front of it. — Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick)July 25, 2016

Meanwhile in the Yankees Universe, folks can ask questions too, such as: "What did Brian Cashman just do?"

The Yankees GM bought low on Chapman—none of the four players New York sent the Cincinnati Reds in December were considered top prospects—in the wake of domestic violence allegations, and sold high in a pricey market for relief pitchers. Prior to joining the Yankees this season, Chapman served a 30-game unpaid suspension by Major League Baseball as a result of an investigation regarding those domestic violence charges under a new agreement between the owners and the players union for those accused of committing domestic violence, sexual assault, or child abuse. At the time of his trade to Chicago, Chapman had a 2.01 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 31.1 innings, which is obviously what the Cubs most cared about.

Chapman wasn't convicted, or even charged by the authorities, but we also know that such a legal outcome in domestic-violence cases isn't uncommon. Chapman being not guilty according to the law doesn't make him innocent. That's certainly how MLB made it seem when the league announced prior to his trade to the Yankees in December that they would be investigating his actions as the first player subject to that new agreement.

It was widely understood that the Yankees took a chance on Chapman without knowing for sure the depth of MLB's punishment. The flip side of that: If Chapman's suspension had been for longer, the Yankees could have kept him longer before free agency set in. New York betting on Chapman came with insurance.

Now the deal is done, with top prospect Gleyber Torres, along with Billy McKinney, Rashad Crawford, and major leaguer Adam Warren heading to the Yankees. Prospectors who study the minors universally agree: It's a great haul. There's a chance the Yankees will be profiting from this trade for the next decade. When allegations surfaced against Chapman in the offseason, the Reds were on the verge of trading him to the Dodgers, who backed out. The market for Chapman became depressed. A few months later, it was booming again.

That's diabolical. It might even make you think that MLB is messed up, and it is, but remember: Reality is more nuanced. MLB is the only body to punish Chapman for allegedly choking his girlfriend and firing a gun in her presence in order to intimidate her. A more just society doesn't leave it to professional sports leagues to be on the vanguard of punishing domestic abusers, yet here we are.

The Cubs and their fans will figure out how to treat Chapman, but even more of a moral conundrum exists in the Bronx, where the Yankees just made a profit from domestic violence allegations.