UPDATE: (AP) The proposed trade sending Cincinnati Reds closer Aroldis Chapman to the Los Angeles Dodgers appeared to be on hold Monday night after Yahoo Sports reported that police investigated an accusation of domestic violence involving the pitcher.
Original story:
The Dodgers may have lost an ace in their rotation when Zach Greinke signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks, but they added some serious talent to the bullpen on Monday, reportedly trading for Reds closer Aroldis Chapman.
Chapman is the hardest-throwing pitcher in the game and has been to the last four All-Star games.
He has 146 saves over his six-year career, 145 of which have come in the last four seasons. Chapman finished the 2015 season with a 1.63 ERA and has a career ERA of 2.17. He's struck out 546 batters over 319.0 innings pitched, too.
The Red Sox were rumored to have interest in Chapman at one point, but instead traded four prospects for Padres closer Craig Kimbrel last month.
The addition of Chapman gives the Dodgers a lethal 1-2 punch late in games, as they currently have Kenley Jansen on the roster as well. Jansen finished the 2015 season with a 2.41 ERA and 36 saves. He's converted 142 saves out of 161 chances over his career.
It's unclear whether the Dodgers plan to hang onto both Chapman and Jansen. They will shorten games by keeping both, or could look to get another starting pitcher back by trading one of the two.
Here's the catch: Both guys are elite closers and want to remain closers. Both guys are going to be free agents at the end of next season and obviously want to cash in. It will be interesting to see how that goes during the season.
FOX Sports was first to report the trade.