Chapman shipped out

HOUSTON— The fire sale has begun. Or has it? Monday’s trade of Aroldis Chapman to the Cubs was hardly shocking, as the Yankees had been fetching offers for the closer for several days. But after taking three of four from the first-place Orioles and winning two of three from the NL West-leading Giants last week, the Yankees aren’t ready to pack it in even after trading one-third of their brilliant bullpen. “This isn’t a white flag,” GM Brian Cashman said. “This is a rearrangement, as well as capitalizing on maximizing the acquisition cost on Aroldis Chapman. We’ll see where it takes us. I just think it was the right move for our franchise.” When Cashman dealt four low-level prospects for Chapman last winter — the reliever was facing a potential domestic violence suspension, hence the bargain-basement asking price — it was with an eye on contending this season while knowing there also might be an opportunity to deal him before the trade deadline.

With his team sitting 7.5 games out of first place in the American League East and 4.5 out of the second AL wild card spot, Cashman received Hal Steinbrenner’s blessing to shop Chapman around. Several teams came with offers, and when Cashman got the one he found too good to turn down, it wasn’t long before Chapman was headed to the Cubs.

But that doesn’t mean the Yankees are giving up on the season. With Andrew Miller and Dellin Betances, you can argue that they still have the best 1-2 bullpen punch in the game.

“We lost a good player, but we’re still in this,” Joe Girardi said. “When I look at our club, a lot of our struggles have been offensively, not so much the back end of games or our bullpen. We have to hit.”

He’s right. So while Cashman traded