At the moment, Aroldis Chapman is pitching in the world series for the Chicago Cubs. He started out the season with the New York Yankees. He was about to play for the Los Angeles Dodgers, but that trade collapsed. The Boston Red Sox are also interested in signing him this offseason. It’s going to be an interesting winter.
The Cubs aren’t keeping themselves busy with anything but trying to come back from 2-3 down in the World Series against the Cleveland Indians, but when the time comes, they’ll be in the picture to retain Chapman, who has done very well for them since coming via trade from the New York Yankees, posting a 1.01 ERA through 26.2 innings in the regular season, striking out 15.5 batters per nine innings since going back to the National League.
They’ll be facing competition from anyone willing to spend big money on a closer, although Chapman isn’t necessarily pinned on playing last in the bullpen. When the Dodgers did their homework about the 28-year old flamethrower, they came to a conclusion that he wouldn’t mind being a setup man to Kenley Jansen, who’ll also be in high demand in the offseason, right behind Chapman. The Dodgers remain high on Chapman, especially now that he has already served his suspension for alleged domestic violence.
Where do the Red Sox come in? Well, Junichi Tazawa, Koji Uehara and Brad Ziegler all become free agents in the offseason. While some think Boston won’t go for the high-priced relievers, I find it hard to believe they won’t be in the picture for Chapman, who showed he can throw very well in the American League. He posted a 2.01 ERA with the Yankees through 31.1 innings, posting an impressive 5.5 strikeout-per-walk ratio.
The Yankees also have the money to sign Chapman, but their guidelines have been to move away from major free agency signings recently. Chapman might be the exception, but considering his demand and the teams that want him all capable of spending big money, the Yankees might look to improve their bullpen through different avenues. That’s not one of their main concerns anyway.