CHICAGO — Before the Chicago Cubs completed a trade for Aroldis Chapman, owner Tom Ricketts and general manager Theo Epstein decided they had to hear from the closer himself about a domestic violence allegation in the offseason.
So Ricketts and Epstein asked Major League Baseball for a window to speak with the left-hander, and they got him on the phone Monday. When the conversation was over, the blockbuster deal was on.
Chasing their first World Series title since 1908, the Cubs addressed one of their few weaknesses by sending a pricey package of four players to the New York Yankees for Chapman, one of the most dominant relievers in the game, but one that also comes with some risk for a franchise riding one of its most positive waves in years.