San Francisco Giants interested in Aroldis Chapman

Jon Morosi of FOX Sports reports that the San Francisco Giants have expressed interest in Cincinnati Reds closer Aroldis Chapman, but notes that there have been no exchanges made in terms of offers.

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The Giants’ interest in Chapman is somewhat surprising, as they’ve reportedly been more focused on acquiring a starting pitcher (specifically, David Price), and also have a quality pitcher at the back of their bullpen in Santiago Casilla. He has, however, has been inconsistent as of late, and San Francisco could be looking for a more reliable option with Casilla taking over eighth-inning responsibilities.

Chapman would serve as more of a luxury than a need for the Giants, which raises the question of whether San Francisco would be willing to meet the reported “three higher-level prospects” asking price the Reds have on their closer. The Giants only have one Top-100 prospect as it is in Kyle Crick, and probably wouldn’t be thrilled at the prospect of further mortgaging an already-thin farm system. San Francisco does have several quality prospects, but if they also want to acquire a top starting pitcher, they probably don’t have enough elite talent to accomplish both that and acquiring Chapman. They’ll have to choose.

It’s unclear how serious the club’s interest in Chapman is, but the reliever will obviously appeal to any and all clubs looking to make a push for the postseason. The four-time All-Star has a 1.73 ERA and astronomical 16.0 K/9 ratio (which is actually down from 17.7 in 2014) in 41.2 innings, and has 20 saves in 21 opportunities.

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