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The New York Yankees appear intent on acquiring one of baseball's elite closers.
Reported to be hammering away on a potential deal involving Craig Kimbrel of the San Diego Padres, the Yankees are also one of five teams "aggressively pursuing" Cincinnati Reds hard-throwing closer Aroldis Chapman, according to Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY Sports.
Related: Yankees, Padres 'hammering away' at possible Kimbrel deal
Chapman is under team control through next season, and Nightengale notes that the Yankees could use a similar prospect package for either reliever.
The four-time All-Star owns a 1.65 ERA and 1.19 WHIP, while striking out 77 across 43 2/3 innings.
Chapman, who became the fastest pitcher in major league history to reach 500 strikeouts this season, would take over the closing duties from Andrew Miller.
| Pitcher | ERA | IP | SO | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Betances | 1.32 | 54.2 | 87 | 0.82 |
| Miller | 1.54 | 35 | 54 | 0.74 |
| Chapman | 1.65 | 43.2 | 77 | 1.19 |