Effects of Cubs’ blockbuster trade being felt in Myrtle Beach

To get a little, sometimes you have to give a little.

For the Chicago Cubs, if the price the club paid on Monday inevitably produces a World Series title, the investment will have been well worth it.

The Cubs – seeking to end a more than century-long title drought – confirmed they were “all in” in their pursuit of a championship, acquiring reliever Aroldis Chapman from the New York Yankees.

A flame thrower whose pitches have registered at an MLB-record 105 mph, Chapman addresses an area of concern for the team. As of Monday, Chicago’s bullpen was among the worst in the National League, its 0.8 wins above replacement 13th out of 15 teams in the senior circuit.

According to FanGraphs, the move to acquire Chapman boosts the Cubs’ chances of advancing to the World Series to 16.6 percent, best in the majors.

The trade came at a hefty cost for the Cubs, however, sending four prized prospects to the Yankees – three of whom have ties to the Myrtle Beach Pelicans.

Chief among them is shortstop Gleyber Torres, who was rated as the No. 1 prospect in the Cubs system and No. 24 in all of baseball by MLB.com. The 19-year-old native of Venezuela batted .275 for the Pelicans, with nine home runs and 47 RBIs. His play really has come on of late, though, hitting .338 during the month of July.

“Torres will be missed quite a bit by us, both on the field and in the clubhouse,” said Andy Milovich, vice president and general manager of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. “He’s not your average 19-year-old, and I think that really made him quite appealing to other clubs.”

Torres will be joined in the Yankees’ farm system by outfielders Rashad Crawford and Billy McKinney. Pitcher Adam Warren also was part of the deal.

In 83 games, Crawford batted .255, with three homes and 30 RBIs. Much like Torres, his bat has been hot over the course of July, hitting .342 with a home run, three doubles and 13 RBIs.

A key cog early on for Myrtle Beach last year in its run to the Mills Cup, McKinney has spent the 2016 baseball campaign with the Cubs’ Class AA club, the Tennessee Smokies.

While goodbye is never easy, such is the nature of the business, according to Milovich.

“Obviously, it’s a bit disruptive, but with the purpose we have as a club and an organization is that we could potentially have played a role in bringing a title to Chicago,” he said. “Players come, and players go … but that’s part of our job.”

As for what’s next for the Pelicans, the club will fill the two spots vacated by Crawford and Torres in the next day or two, aided in part by the depth of the Cubs’ farm system.

“We’re operating at 23 (on Monday), but within a day or so we’ll be back at 25 players,” Milovich said. “The Cubs being ‘all in’ for the past several years in terms of player development and front office personnel has certainly allowed them to build quite the farm system. A farm system that allows them to make deals like the one they did, but also to set the club up for a World Series run.”

This story was originally published July 25, 2016 at 8:02 PM with the headline "Effects of Cubs’ blockbuster trade being felt in Myrtle Beach."