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Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Cubs fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
As we saw in Thursday’s 3-2 Cubs loss to the Orioles, the team desperately needs help in the bullpen as well as in the starting rotation.
Perhaps they will get some help when injured relievers return, but even that is probably not enough. So earlier this week, I asked you to answer this SB Nation Reacts survey question: Which of a provided list of relievers would you like the Cubs to go after? Or perhaps there’s someone else you have in mind.
Here are the survey results:
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By a significant margin, you chose a reunion with 2016 World Series champion Aroldis Chapman. Chapman, who is now 38, is having a pretty good year for the Red Sox. He’s pitched in 29 games covering 27.2 innings and has a 2.28 ERA and 1.229 WHIP. His walk rate is up a bit from last year, but he’s kept the ball in the yard — just one home run allowed to 117 batters faced. He has 19 saves in 21 opportunities — the 19 saves is one more than the entire Cubs pitching staff has this year.
Chapman is making $13 million this year. The Cubs could probably afford to take on a bit less than half of that, and not have to give up a top prospect. (There’s a $13 million mutual option that vests if Chapman throws at least 40 innings this year and passes a post-season physical, so that’s a potential concern.)
Incidentally, you see Chapman wearing No. 44 for the Red Sox, after having worn No. 54 or No. 45 his entire career. Lucas Giolito wore No. 54 for Boston last year and Sonny Gray has it this year. No one has No. 54 for the Cubs this year; the last player to wear it was Ryan Brasier (remember him?) last year. So Chapman could wear the same number he wore for the 2016 World Series champions.
One last note about Chapman that I feel I should address. You likely remember the domestic violence allegations made against him more than a decade ago. Chapman did address those when the Cubs acquired him and, at least as far as I know, nothing like that has happened again. Here’s what I wrote about this issue at the time Chapman was acquired by the Cubs in 2016.
On to the rest of the survey results: You didn’t much like the other choices I had, because second place went to “someone else.” There were a number of choices listed in the comments to the survey article, so feel free to add those here as well.
Here are the results of the four national questions asked this week, which had to do with postseason awards.
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This will be an interesting vote if Pete Crow-Armstrong keeps playing the way he is now. Obviously Shohei Ohtani will be a favorite to win, but it’s possible PCA gets enough support to sneak in an MVP award.
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This vote was a little closer, and might depend on whether Yordan Alvarez can help lead the Astros to a postseason spot. Otherwise I’d give my vote to Junior Caminero.
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You’ll note that Ohtani didn’t appear on this ballot. What sort of vote total would he have received if he had been on the ballot?
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As long as things continue the way they have been, I’d think Cam Schlittler might be a unanimous choice.
This edition of SB Nation Reacts is sponsored by FanDuel.
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