The Dodgers' offseason of woe just got a little worse Monday night, and now they may be forced to start on Plan C for the 2016 season.
Los Angeles' trade for Reds closer Aroldis Chapman is on hold, perhaps indefinitely, because Major League Baseball is investigating an incident in October in which the Cincinnati pitcher allegedly fired eight gunshots in the garage of his home in Miami after an argument with a girlfriend, according to Yahoo Sports.
Clayton Kershaw Could Be Big Loser In Zack Greinke Exit
The girlfriend reportedly told police that Chapman choked her and pushed her against a wall inside his home, prompting the MLB's investigation under its new domestic violence policy. That has halted the trade.
ESPN baseball analyst Tim Kurkjian said on "SportsCenter" Monday night that the trade may not happen at all.
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The Dodgers were hoping to pair Chapman with their own closer, Kenley Jansen, to shore up a suspect bullpen.
The trade came in response to Los Angeles losing Zack Greinke to the Diamondbacks via free agency. Greinke and Clayton Kershaw led the Dodgers to NL West division titles in each of the past three seasons, but worked so hard during the regular season to get them there that they were not as dominant in the postseason.
Greinke had a slight increase in ERA from the regular season (2.29) to the postseason (2.37) during his three Dodgers seasons. Kershaw's ERA, however, jumped from 1.91 in the three regular seasons to 4.19 in the postseason.
The Dodgers did sign former Mariners starter Hisashi Iwakumi, and Johnny Cueto still is available. They also have a surplus in the outfield with Yasiel Puig, Joc Pederson, Andre Ethier and Carl Crawford all able to be used for another potential trade.
But if the Dodgers get down to Plans D or E, their prospects for 2016 will become much dimmer.
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