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Aroldis Chapman Happy To Be Back With New York Yankees

By Kenneth Teape

Jul 22, 2016; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman (54) laughs during a break in action with teammate second baseman Starlin Castro (14) during the ninth inning of an inter-league baseball game against the San Francisco Giants at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 22, 2016; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman (54) laughs during a break in action with teammate second baseman Starlin Castro (14) during the ninth inning of an inter-league baseball game against the San Francisco Giants at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports /
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The New York Yankees were able to bring Aroldis Chapman back to the Bronx this offseason and he couldn’t be happier to return.

The New York Yankees landed one of the marquee free agents in free agency when they signed Aroldis Chapman. It was a good signing for the Yankees, who now have a dominant lefty-righty duo at the end of games with Chapman and Dellin Betances.

It was also a good move by the Yankees because they were able to retain Chapman while stockpiling their farm system. The Yankees traded Chapman to the Chicago Cubs at the trade deadline, landing a solid package of Gleyber Torres, Rashad Crawford, Billy McKinney, and Adam Warren.

The Cubs came away as the ultimate winners as they took home the World Series. The Yankees don’t come out too bad either, as they landed a top prospect and brought Chapman back. It is the perfect outcome for Chapman. He won a championship and now returns to where he badly wants to play.

When the Yankees traded Chapman to the Cubs, he made no secret that he truly enjoyed his time with the Yankees, albeit it was for only a couple of months. Now he will be in the Bronx for multiple seasons, as he signed a five-year, $86 million deal, the largest ever for a reliever, and he couldn’t be happier.

"“I’m very happy to be back with the Yankees and join this team again,” Chapman said through Yankees team interpreter Marlon Abreu. “The Yankees have a very good reputation throughout baseball; they have won 27 championships, and I want to do my best to help bring another one to the city.”"

The Yankees are happy to have him back, but it was not easy. The Miami Marlins made a very competitive offer to Chapman, as they offered him more money than the Yankees. But the Yankees’ storied history and Marlins inability to keep a nucleus together pushed him back to the Bronx.

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“Negotiations were long and tough, and the Marlins were close to signing me, but in the end, my wish was to come back to the Yankees,” Chapman said. “I wanted to be part of a young team like the Yankees have now, and I wanted to have a stable team; as you know, the Marlins from time to time will change their team a lot, and I wanted to be somewhere I could feel at home.”

Sometimes free agency is not all about money. Players who chase money usually have a worse outcome than players who follow their intuition; money cannot always fix chemistry and fit within a roster.

Chapman appreciated how much the Yankees helped him when dealing with his domestic violence suit last offseason, saying, “I think the main thing (that made him want to return) was the way they welcomed me (last December). I came to this team dealing with a problem, and the way they welcomed me from the top down, they made me feel at home. That kind of support is something you need in a moment like that.”

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The Yankees welcomed Chapman with open arms last season from the Cincinnati Reds, and are once again welcoming him this season. While some fans will not agree with the signing, from either a baseball or off-field perspective, he is someone the Yankees wanted and he wanted the Yankees.

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