It’s been a productive month for the Cubs’ front office, especially when it comes to pitching. After swooping up a nice crop of talent from the 2016 draft, the organization got left-hander Mike Montgomery from Seattle.
Then came the big one.
On Monday, the Cubs traded for closer Aroldis Chapman.
Some experts say he is a perfect fit for the Cubs. Maybe a franchise-changing acquisition, the thing that finally gets them another World Series title. After all, Chapman has a stellar fastball, a nice ERA and 166 career saves. But he also comes with baggage.
Earlier this season, under the domestic violence policy MLB enacted in August, Chapman was suspended for the first 30 games of the season after an incident involving his girlfriend. An incident that, according to police, involved gunshots.
This isn’t the first time in recent years that a Chicago sports team has signed or kept on the roster a player with a questionable past.
In March 2015, the Bears signed Ray McDonald, who had been released by San Francisco just months earlier after he was named a suspect in a sexual assault investigation. Two months after the Bears signed the defensive end, he was arrested on a domestic violence charge. The Bears released him that same day.
Some say the Bears should’ve known better. Barely a decade earlier, the club had similar troubles with Tank Johnson, a lineman given a second chance after an array of weapons-related arrests. The defensive star was waived in June 2007, just days after a DUI arrest.
Like it or not, for a lot of die-hard fans rooting for one’s team does not happen in a vacuum. Often when our hometown favorites sign a player with a past that involves brutality, it tests our faith in sports and the people who run our teams.
In the incident involving Chapman and his girlfriend, no arrests were made and no charges brought forth. Some would argue that Chapman did serve his suspension, and he lost a reported $1.86 million in salary. Plus, he said in a statement that he was sorry and “learned from this matter.” So why can’t some of us fans move on, just let it go?
I have never been a victim of domestic violence. But as a husband, a father and someone who has spent years writing about women in sports (as athletes), I’m still not exactly cool with the Chapman trade.
“So, great, the Cubs have a shiny new arm. Maybe Chapman won’t cause any more problems, and won’t abuse anyone,” I thought. Still, I knew what I felt, and it troubled me. But I couldn’t put it to words. Reaching out to my friend and fellow sportswriter Julie DiCaro helped untie the emotional knots in my sports soul a bit.
DiCaro, who wrote for years about the Cubs and other sports for RedEye, now writes for Sports Illustrated and works for 670 The Score.
She points out that there are problems that arise every time a team signs a player with a checkered past, particularly one that involves domestic violence or sexual abuse.
“[There are] a number of fans who just don’t care and are very comfortable admitting they care more about winning than they do about violence against women,” she said. “They’re all over Twitter.”
Worse yet, when women who write about sports call attention to such issues, they are often harassed and taunted. This was the genesis of this April’s viral #MoreThanMean video featuring DiCaro and ESPN Chicago’s Sarah Spain.
Another problem, DiCaro pointed out, comes from teams themselves. It seems at least on the surface that sports franchises don’t look far beyond stats.
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“We continue to see front offices who seem to take on the vetting of players who have been accused of being violent towards women without any guidance from anyone with an expertise in domestic violence or sexual assault,” DiCaro said. “That’s very troubling.”
The truth is there are no blanket, easy answers to remedy uneasy feelings about the Cubs signing a player with unspeakable talent and questionable character. Certainly I think that people who have done bad things can change. But unfortunately strikeouts, saves and wins alone don’t solve it. Nor does coaxing, or explaining that “he’s served his time.” Not for some of us who take violence very seriously.
For now, perhaps all that some of us who love the Cubs can do is focus on what has been a mostly magical season, and hope it continues. But I’ll continue to shudder every time a team of mine picks up a player with an unsavory past. Many of us fans will.
Andy Frye is a RedEye contributor. @mysportscomplex