Welcome to The Late-Day Recap, a column with reactions to the three biggest stories in sports that you might have missed during the day.
Today’s Top Headline: Yankees Trade Aroldis Chapman to the Cubs
Before I get to the Cubs, I want to discuss the Yankees first: This is a terrific trade for them. It’s hard to believe, but you could argue that Chapman might have been the third best reliever on the Yankees. Chapman, of course, is outstanding and he’s already one of the league leaders in WAR for relievers even though he missed the first month. However, Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller both have superior WAR’s, K/9 rates, and FIP’s in 2016, as you can see below.
This isn’t just a one-year occurrence, either. Betances and Miller have certainly been just as good as Chapman for a few years now. The table below are cumulative stats dating back to 2014.
The point is this: The Yankees will be just fine without Chapman because they still have two elite relievers. Moreover, if you take into the account that Chapman might have left town in free agency after this season as well as the reality that Chapman is one of the few players on the middling Yankees who could bring in a hefty haul of prospects, trading him was a no-brainer.
Speaking of prospects, the Yankees got a nice batch of them to help beef up their mediocre farm system. The centerpiece of that group is infielder Gleyber Torres (#24 on MLB’s Top 100 Prospect list), who many say could be on the MLB’s next great middle infielders. By the way, who names their kid Gleyber?
As for the Cubs, this move makes a lot of sense for them. Their bullpen is ranked 25th in baseball right now according to Fangraphs, but Chapman will help sure that up. With that said, Chicago still has their work cut out for them in the playoffs. Teams like the Giants and Nationals are just as good, I don’t trust their starting pitching, and, oh yeah, there’s a tad bit of pressure when you haven’t won a World Series in over 100 years. Chapman helps, but he doesn’t quite solve any of those problems.
In Other News, the NFL Reinstated Josh Gordon
Thank god. I mean, it’s marijuana. It’s reasonable for the NFL to not allow their players to smoke it for the sake of performance, but did Gordon really need to miss, what was it, two full years?
Two other thoughts. First, once Gordon returns in Week 5 (which will be the same game that Tom Brady comes back, by the way) I don’t think it’s reasonable to expect him to return to his 2013 self. He’s been away from the game for a while, and I know the NFL is predicated on athleticism, but there’s certainly such a thing as “getting the rust off.”
And second, I can’t help but wonder what this means for Johnny Manziel. I would love to never see the despicable Manziel get near an NFL field again, but now his partner in crime is back in the game. Will this motivate Manziel to make a similar return? My gut feeling, for some reason, is that it will. But here’s the key difference: Gordon has already proved himself in the pros. He is undeniably talented and one of the league’s best at his position. Manziel is, well, not either of those things. Far from it. Manziel, in my view, was so bad during his time in Cleveland that I don’t see how another team takes a chance on him given his off-the-field baggage. With that said, I bet now that Gordon is back, Manziel will be motivated to return to the field as well.
One More Thing: Michael Jordan, Finally, Made His Voice Heard
The ironic thing about today’s news that Michael Jordan publicly expressed his thoughts on the recent social unrest in America and donated $1 million to both the NAACP and the International Association of Chiefs of Police is this: By remaining silent for so many years, Jordan’s statement is arguably more impactful than those who frequently voice their opinions. I know that there aren’t many huge stories going on in sports at this time of year, but Jordan’s comments are receiving well-deserved attention, more so than I even anticipated when I first heard the news.
Jordan’s been known to remain quiet on political and social issues before, but what I appreciate most about his remarks are not the fact that he spoke out, but of how pragmatic they are. Read this excerpt from his statements on The Undefeated:
“I was raised by parents who taught me to love and respect people regardless of their race or background, so I am saddened and frustrated by the divisive rhetoric and racial tensions that seem to be getting worse as of late. I know this country is better than that, and I can no longer stay silent. We need to find solutions that ensure people of color receive fair and equal treatment AND that police officers – who put their lives on the line every day to protect us all – are respected and supported.”
By not taking a stand on “either side,” Jordan came across as incredibly well-balanced and sensible. Hopefully Jordan won’t feel the need to make any more public comments like this because, hopefully, there won’t be a need to. But if the situation does arise in the future, it will be refreshing to hear Jordan’s opinion once again.
