Aroldis Chapman, the flame-throwing closer whose free-agent walk-year began on the domestic violence suspended list in New York and concluded on a celebratory dog-pile in Cleveland, agreed to terms with the Yankees on a five-year, $86-million contract on Wednesday night, the largest deal ever for a relief pitcher.
Chapman, 28, returns to the Yankees as the best ninth-inning option in a crowded market that included Kenley Jansen and Mark Melancon. Melancon signed with the San Francisco Giants for $62 million over four years. Jansen has not signed. Fox Sports was first to report the deal between the Yankees and Chapman. Chapman can opt out of the contract after three seasons, has a full no-trade clause in those seasons and, according to ESPN, may not be traded to a team in California.
Chapman recorded 36 saves in 59 appearances for the Yankees and Chicago Cubs in 2016, then four more saves for the Cubs across the postseason. He also blew three opportunities in October, including in Game 7 of the World Series, when the first two batters he faced in the eighth inning – pinch-hitter Brandon Guyer and Rajai Davis – doubled and homered, respectively. The Cubs won anyway.
The somewhat bumpy October, in which Chapman seemed resistant to pitching before the ninth inning, did not harm the left-hander’s market. More difficult to measure was the impact of Chapman’s turn as a domestic violence offender. As the first to be disciplined under MLB’s Joint Domestic Abuse program, he served 30 games for an October incident in which he allegedly choked his girlfriend and fired eight shots from a pistol into his garage wall.
The news of Chapman’s alleged abuse, which came while Chapman was a Cincinnati Red, fouled a potential trade that would have sent Chapman to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Less than a month later, the Yankees acquired Chapman for a discounted package of players. Women’s rights groups in New York were critical of the Yankees for employing Chapman. He returned from his suspension in early May and saved 20 games for the Yankees before being traded to the Cubs in late July.
At the time of the trade to Chicago, Chapman issued a statement that read, in part, “I regret that I did not exercise better judgment and for that I am truly sorry. Looking back, I feel I have learned from this matter and have grown as a person. My girlfriend and I have worked hard to strengthen our relationship, to raise our daughter together, and would appreciate the opportunity to move forward without revisiting an event we consider part of our past.”
In his free agency, teams were asked to measure what was clearly the best arm on the market against the uncertainty of a long-term relationship with Chapman, and then how their communities would react to such a deal. The Yankees, Dodgers, Cubs, Washington Nationals, Miami Marlins and San Francisco Giants, among others, were believed to have some interest in him.
Chapman debuted with the Reds in 2010, a year after defecting from Cuba. After some debate over whether he was better suited as a starter, Chapman became a full-time reliever and in 2012 had 38 saves. In his career, he has 182 saves along with a 2.08 ERA and 15.5 strikeouts per nine innings, primarily because of a fastball that in 2016 averaged 100.4 mph.
Upon determining they likely were non-contenders AL East, the Yankees traded Chapman to the Cubs in late July for four minor leaguers, among them shortstop Gleyber Torres, who became their second-rated prospect and was the Arizona Fall League’s Most Valuable Player. Five months later, they re-signed Chapman to team with Dellin Betances on the back end of their bullpen. They also signed Matt Holliday to serve as their designated hitter.
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