When Aroldis Chapman arrived in New York in 2016, he was dominant. As the Yankees had chosen to rebuild that year, he was traded to the Cubs (with whom the closer won the World Series) before returning as a free agent to the Bronx.
And for years he was a stabilizing force in a bullpen that was powerful. He was one of the highest paid relievers in baseball and he deserved his money.
But this year, things are going badly. The reliever, who is in his last year of contract, is often injured and he has lost the north. The club no longer trust him to put an end to games and he becomes a drag more than anything else, it seems.
How much of a drag is he? To the point where the Yankees are considering releasing him now.
I don’t think I need to tell you that the reliever will indeed play elsewhere in 2023, do I? He will not return to New York.
Why release it now? Because the Yankees are looking to make room in the roster for some arms and nominating Chapman for assignment would open up a roster position.
If I had an old $2 to put down, I’d say maybe the Yankees will find another way to do things. Could the good old “phantom injury” to send a guy to the injured list be in play? Who knows.
We can expect not necessarily to see him launch in the playoffs. Perhaps a committee of guys could be used, depending on the needs.
Imagine signing a guy at $82 million to close games by committee…
In the end, this shows that the closers have a lifespan that is not 15 years (talk to Craig Kimbrel, who lost his job in Los Angeles) and that apart from the big ones, the specialists in ninth inning didn’t have that role for years.
