Just came down about two hours ago on his Twitter account. The usually reliable ESPN reporter says that both the Yanks and Mets are both out on the Chapman sweepstakes. Here’s the original message in its entirety:
Sources: The Mets are not in on Aroldis Chapman – just as the Yankees are not in on Aroldis Chapman. One talent evaluator expects the bidding on Chapman to go to $20 million. Concern in some quarters that he is better suited for relief than as a starter.
I’m neither surprised or disappointed at the news. Since seeing him pitch in various international outings (which can be seen on YouTube) and reading reports on him from experts in Cuban Baseball, I came away very much agnostic on Mr Chapman. I detailed my reasons in a prior post from back on December 3rd. He’s clearly a project, one that may take years to become MLB ready, if ever. Further, as the talent evaluator in Olney’s Tweet said he very well may be better suited to be a reliever than starter, which is something that Aroldis has stated he has no interest in doing. There are also reports of him clashing with various coaches in Cuba, making you wonder about his coachability. I know fans will say ‘Its only money, and the Yanks have plenty’ but part of being a well run organization is having a plan and sticking to it. If he’s a disruptive force (as was reported in Cuba) then it can impact other prospects as well. Assuming this report is accurate, and Buster is one of the best when it comes to knowing what Brian Cashman is thinking, I have no problem with the Yanks sitting this one out.
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Agreed. I would be happy if they got him, but Im not upset if they decide he is not worth it and move on. 20M can go a long way in next year’s draft and IFA market. Go overslot for a bunch of guys, sign 3-4 top IFA, and you probably end up with more value than Chapman.
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Steve S. Reply:
January 6th, 2010 at 6:53 pm
Throwing hard with your left hand is a good thing, but it’s not all you need to be successful. Mike Dunn threw 96+with his left hand, and we just traded him away because we found him to be expendable.
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Totally, TOTALLY agreed. As I said last night, I would much rather sign Mateo for about 1/10 of the price. They could take the 20 million that it would cost to sign Chapman and invest it all into the Latin market this signing period, and come away with 10 prospects in the same vein of Gary Sanchez and Jesus Montero. Chapman is a lotto ticket, and like all lotto tickets, many fail. 20 million dollars is a big investment (it’s 5 more then Strausberg), and even if he is more likely then not to be a hit in the majors, the truth is he is still a question mark.
All that being said, between the Yankees holding firm (via LoHud) that they don’t need a left handed outfield bat and this news, it is interesting that they are holding to a budget. I am not like others that believes “what’s another 20 million dollars” to the team. A million dollars is still a million fricken dollars. This is just the first year that I can remember that the Yankee franchise is watching it’s money.
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Steve S. Reply:
January 6th, 2010 at 7:03 pm
So many people have watched the Yankees spend irrationally for their whole lives under George that they think that’s just the way the Yanks are run. Hal may be his son, but he’s much more disciplined and educated than George. He attended Culver Military academy for High School, went to the very exclusive Williams College for prep school and has a MBA in Business Admin from the University of Fla. George was a ’seat of his pants’ type of owner, Hal is a very organized owner who figures to operate more on principle than momentary need.
Hal is also very unlikely to tell Brian how to do his job. He know his limitations (George never did) and trusts Brian to make the Baseball decisions, something he freely admits he knows nothing about. It’s a different regime entirely, people need to get used to that fact.
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Jay Reply:
January 6th, 2010 at 7:23 pm
I am personally very happy about the new regime and the fact that they are intelligent about the way they spend. The payroll is still 200 million dollars, so no one should argue that they are skimping by.
I would, however, love to see the Yankees buy the top 5 or 6 Latin American players at the July signing period. With a global draft on the horizon, I feel their advantage to get the Montero’s of the world is slipping away. Taking the 20 million that Chapman would cost and buying a bunch of different prospects could give the Yankees one of the top systems in the league.
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Steve S. Reply:
January 6th, 2010 at 7:46 pm
I’d love to see that too, but should the Yanks be so gluttonous they would enrage all their fellow owners. A move like that could have implications for the upcoming Labor negotiations in 2011. The Yanks often seem separate, but they have to follow the rules of Baseball like everyone else, and the last thing they need are more roadblocks thrown in their path.
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Jay Reply:
January 6th, 2010 at 10:58 pm
While I agree it would enrage other owners, I think:
A. They have already done enough that will lead other owners to push for change. At this point, I think armegadon is coming.
B. Any other owner in baseball could devote 15-20 MM on draft picks. Many of these owners are billionaires. Just because they choose not to do it doesn’t mean the Yankees shouldn’t. To me, it’s no different then the idea that the Yankees shouldn’t retaliate based on a Red Sox signing/trade.
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Moshe Mandel Reply:
January 6th, 2010 at 8:15 pm
I’d love to see you do a post expanding on this idea.
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Steve S. Reply:
January 6th, 2010 at 8:50 pm
I’ve discussed it before, but I’ll work it in the next time a topic comes up that I can use as a starting point.
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Eric Schultz Reply:
January 6th, 2010 at 11:40 pm
meh, Williams sucks. Big Stein went there too. Your point is well taken though.
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Agreed. It is hard to read Matt’s previous post and not want more pitching, but this guy seems a lot like Brackman and the other tall kid we already have. High potential to bust or break it. $20M plus is a lot but I would like to better understand the duration of the expected deal.
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Matt Imbrogno Reply:
January 6th, 2010 at 10:07 pm
Well, the Yankees do have plenty of high-upside arms, they’re just lower down in the ranks (as is much of the their talent).
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I think his price will come down.YAnkees shouldn’t walk from the guy>even if he ends up a reliever, how much do you pay for a guy who throw southpaw and can people out. If he ends up a starter, bingo, HR.
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