Chapman Says Yankees GM Owes Him An Apology
Aroldis Chapman has never been shy about speaking his mind, and this week in St. Petersburg, he delivered a message that echoed far beyond the Red Sox clubhouse. With Boston sinking deeper into the AL East basement and the trade deadline creeping closer, the veteran left hander knows his name will be in every contender’s rumor mill. One of those contenders, of course, is the New York Yankees, the franchise where he saved 146 games and earned three All Star selections.
The 38 year old reliever told ESPN Deportes that he still hasn’t forgotten how his 2022 exit from New York unfolded. That season unraveled quickly: a 4.46 ERA, a leg infection from a tattoo, the loss of his closer role, and finally, the moment that fractured his relationship with the front office. When Chapman missed a mandatory team workout before the ALDS, Cashman publicly accused him of insubordination. Chapman insists he had permission to travel to Miami. The Yankees insisted he didn’t.
Chapman’s Dominance Makes Him a Prime Deadline Target
The irony is that Chapman is pitching as well as he has at any point in the last decade. Even as the Red Sox slide, now 27 39 and 13.5 games behind Tampa Bay, he has been nearly untouchable. He has allowed just one run all season, striking out 26 hitters in 19⅔ innings and converting all 13 save chances. Since joining Boston, he has posted a 1.00 ERA with 45 saves and 111 strikeouts in 81 innings.
Those numbers make him one of the most valuable bullpen arms on the market. And with Boston fading fast, the front office will have no choice but to listen on offers. The Yankees, who have leaned heavily on their bullpen all year, would instantly upgrade their late inning options by bringing Chapman back.
Still, the speculation will not stop. Chapman knows it. “Every day you see social media and also people in the press talking and commenting about it,” he said. “I have no control… I’m just focusing on being able to play.”
The Apology That Still Hangs Over New York
The sticking point remains 2022. Chapman was left off the postseason roster, and the relationship never recovered. Cashman’s comments at the time, calling the absence “surprising” and “unacceptable,” stung the veteran closer. For Chapman, returning without an acknowledgment of that moment would feel like unfinished business.
He isn’t demanding leverage. He isn’t holding out. He’s simply stating the price of comfort.
“I’m under contract and I don’t have any control over my contract,” Chapman said. “I don’t have any clauses or anything with any team, but going to New York would be something that, first of all, I would have to talk to the manager about.”
That’s the other layer: even if Cashman apologized, Chapman would still want a conversation with Aaron Boone before agreeing to a reunion. Trust, for him, is not negotiable.
What Comes Next for Chapman and the Deadline
Chapman is playing on a one year, 13.3 million dollar deal with a 2027 option that vests if he reaches 40 innings and passes a postseason physical. He has 380 career saves, eight All Star appearances, and two championship rings. He’s chasing another.
Whether that chase leads him back to Yankee Stadium depends on two things: Boston’s willingness to deal him, and Cashman’s willingness to revisit a moment the Yankees would probably prefer to forget.
