The New York Yankees Should Just Forget About Aroldis Chapman

While the New York Yankees are desperately looking for help in the bullpen this offseason, they should stay far away from Aroldis Chapman.

It should come as no surprise that, the New York Yankees are in the thick of things when it comes to free-agent Aroldis Chapman. Brian Cashman has already placed a call to the flamethrower’s agent to discuss where the two sides stand when it comes to a potential deal. T

The Cuban-born left-hander is likely to command a historic $100 million deal that will surely put a lot of teams out of the sweepstakes. The Yankees could certainly afford to take on a deal of that magnitude but that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea.

Chapman, 28, will be 29 years old once the season starts. He is the type of pitcher who relies solely on velocity and as pitchers age, it is only natural that they see a drop in velocity. If the Bombers give the left-hander the five-year deal many expect, it’s unlikely he’ll be throwing 100 mph consistently by the end. That’s a young man’s game.

Relief pitchers tend to have especially short life spans, especially if they have a lot of miles on their arm. When Chapman began to wear down from overuse this postseason with the Cubs, he suddenly became very hittable when his fastball was in the high-90’s rather than 100-plus.

He had a 3.45 ERA in the times where it mattered the most as well as three blown saves throughout the playoffs, including one which could have lost the Cubs the World Series. It is surely a troubling sign to see Chapman crumble when it mattered the most, especially if the Yankees are looking at him as their closer of the future.

There are other options in this year’s free agent relief class that will not cause the Yankees to break the bank. For the price of a single Aroldis Chapman, the Bombers could go out and sign Mark Melancon, Greg Holland, and Boone Logan, which will provide much more depth to a depleted bullpen. Kenley Jansen could even be a much more viable option who will come at a much lesser of a price, does not rely on velocity, and has proved that he is dominant in October.