DUNEDIN, FLORIDA – APRIL 12: Aroldis Chapman #54 of the New York Yankees warms up in the bullpen before entering the game in the ninth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at TD Ballpark on April 12, 2021 in Dunedin, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
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The Boston Red Sox entered the season hoping veteran closer Aroldis Chapman could help stabilize the back end of their bullpen while the club pushed toward postseason contention.
Instead, Chapman has become part of one of baseball’s more surprising off-field storylines as he seems poised for a trade out of Boston, revisiting a messy end to his tenure with the New York Yankees.
Boston Red Sox Closer Aroldis Chapman Revisits New York Yankees Saga After Trade Demand
With trade speculation already beginning to surround high-performing veterans on expiring contracts, some recent comments from Chapman brought renewed attention to a relationship that apparently remains fractured years after his departure from the Bronx.
Last week, Chapman indicated that if he were traded back to the Yankees ahead of the upcoming deadline, he would demand an apology from general manager Brian Cashman.
“If the Red Sox decide to trade Chapman, it’s unlikely they’ll send him within their own division, especially to the rival Yankees. But if it were to happen, Chapman knows what would have to happen for him to feel comfortable returning to New York,” Enrique Rojas reported for ESPN.
“If something like this were to happen, I believe someone from this organization should apologize first,” Chapman said, regarding a hypothetical trade back to the Yankees, per Rojas. The pitcher also confirmed that the “someone” he was referring to was Cashman.
Former New York Yankees Star Aroldis Chapman Details Brian Cashman Issue After Demanding Apology
The comments provide a rare public look into one of the more unusual player-management disputes of recent Yankees history, which involved Chapman missing a mandatory workout before the postseason in his final year with the team.
And after his apology demand grabbed headlines, Chapman detailed his side of the story in a conversation with Cuban sports reporter Alfre Alvarez.
“(Cashman) told me a month before the end of the (regular) season, ‘you’re not going to be in the playoffs.’ He said, ‘for you to be in the playoffs, you have to be the Aroldis Chapman of 2016,’” Chapman explained, according to a translation from NJ.com’s Bob Klapisch. “So I responded, ‘I will play and do my best. And that’s it, you decide.’”
Chapman added that, based on that conversation, he felt his season was over and was surprised to hear from the team that he was expected at a workout before the American League Division Series began.
“They said, ‘why aren’t you here?’ I said, ‘Here? Where? What are you talking about?’” Chapman recalled, per Klapisch. “(Cashman) was going off on me.”
Chapman said he offered to meet face-to-face the following morning, but that conversation never took place and the Yankees formally cut ties with him shortly afterward.
Now, the tension apparently remains unresolved to this day. And as nice as it might be for both parties to reunite with apologies flowing, that seems unlikely, even after the pitcher explained why Cashman should hold himself accountable for the high-profile misunderstanding.
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