Reds demote last hope from Aroldis Chapman deal with Yankees

The Yankees surrendered four players to the Reds for Aroldis Chapman. One team clearly won the deal.

Advantage: Yankees.

That was pretty clear from the moment the Yankees sent four players to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for closer Aroldis Chapman in December of 2015. But it’s become even more lopsided as the years have gone on.

The four players New York dealt to the Reds for Chapman: Right-handed starting pitcher Rookie Davis, third baseman Eric Jagielo, second baseman Tony Renda and right-handed reliever Caleb Cotham.

On Monday, the Reds outrighted Davis off their 40-man roster. The righty is the last remaining player from the deal to actually play in Cincinnati’s organization. Davis will head to Triple-A, and try to work his way back to the big. Jagielo (Marlins), Renda (Red Sox) and Cotham (retired) have all moved on. The four players combined to give the Reds a grand total of -2.0 WAR.

Meanwhile, Chapman has been valuable in two distinct ways for the Yankees: On the mound and through what he brought back in a 2016 deadline deal with the Chicago Cubs.

On the mound in half of 2016 and through the last two full seasons, Chapman owns a 2.52 ERA in a Yankees uniform. Despite a current disabled list stint with a knee issue, Chapman has been dominant for the majority of his Yankees tenure.

Sheffield’s progress

In addition to what Chapman provides on the mound, the haul (Gleyber Torres) surrendered by the Cubs to acquired the lefty in 2016 has given the Yankees a cornerstone infielder for years to come.

Chapman is signed through the 2021 season, meaning he and Torres can combine to help the Yankees in pennant races for the next four years.

Joe Giglio may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JoeGiglioSports. Find NJ.com on Facebook.