Rondon just wants to help Chicago Cubs win
The player most affected by the Chicago Cubs' trade for closer Aroldis Chapman is the man who has held that job and generally done it well: Hector Rondon.
Rondon expressed his support for the Chapman trade Monday, even though it means he'll move into a setup role.
"I don't care if they put me in the eighth, seventh," Rondon said. "It only matters for me to come into the game and do my job."
Cubs president Theo Epstein met with Rondon before Monday night's game against the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field.
"Hector's done a phenomenal job for us and will continue to do so," Epstein said. "I did talk to him today, and I think Joe (manager Maddon) has plans to do so, as well. He was fully understanding.
"The one thing I wanted to communicate to Hector was that at no point did we say we're worried about Hector Rondon, we need to go out and get a new closer.
"Instead, the question we asked ourselves was, 'How can we get even better so that we can put ourselves in a position to try to get the playoffs and win three postseason series?' We felt that this trade made us better because of the importance of having three or four shutdown relievers in the postseason and down the stretch.
"He had a big smile on his face. He embraces doing whatever it takes to win games. He said he was excited about the move. I'd expect nothing less from a pro like Hector."
Chapman can become a free agent his fall, so Rondon may get his job back for next year.
"I don't think that way right now," he said. "I think more of to work this year, finish, play in the World Series, all those things."
The key to the deal:
The Cubs gave up shortstop prospect Gleyber Torres, minor-league outfielders Rashad Crawford and Billy McKinney and pitcher Adam Warren to get Aroldis Chapman. The key was Torres, a 19-year-old shortstop who was playing for Class A Myrtle Beach.
Torres is considered a top-50 prospect in all of baseball. He had a line of .275/.359/.433 with 9 homers and 47 RBI at Myrtle Beach.
DH doings:
Center fielder Dexter Fowler was the Cubs' designated hitter Monday. Fowler came off the disabled list over the weekend after battling a hamstring injury for more than a month. Joe Maddon said he was unsure of who would be the DH Tuesday night.