Yanks met with Chapman during Game Six

October 26, 2009 by Mike Axisa 51 Comments

While the current Yankees were busy clinching a trip to the World Series last night, a potential future Yankee was busy meeting with GM Brian Cashman and several club officials. Cuban southpaw Aroldis Chapman attended Game Six as a fan (and as a “guest of the team“), and apparently at some point sat down with the braintrust and had what Jorge Arangure called “good conversations.” For what it’s worth, Chapman has already spoken to the Mets at CitiField.

Now that Yusei Kikuchi is staying in Japan, Chapman is easily the most coveted amateur player in the world. Speculation is that he’ll get $40-60MM, but I bet he “settles” for closer to $20M. Signing a completely unproven pitcher to that kind of cash could be career suicide.

Bill R

He can’t be as bad as Igawa! So i think its worth the risk to show this kid some dough!
Tiffany

I guess that’s where Cashman disappeared off to?
- http://www.secondavenuesagas.com Benjamin Kabak
  
  That’s what I was thinking. He couldn’t just go, “Excuse me, Aroldis, I have to go soak myself in champagne right now. Hope you sign with us. Bye.”
  - jsbrendog
    
    why not? maybe then aroldis goes…man…i want that.
    
    no i know youre right.
  - Free Mike Vick
    
    shoot…if was cash i would have let Chap go down there and celebrate with the team. Maybe it will get us a discount.
    - tim randle
      
      $ Aroldis, I have to go celebrate ANOTHER pennant…we have 40. That’s a lot, by the way. Anyway, have a–HEY…you want to come see the rest of The Stadium(tm)? We can start with a tour of the locker rooms, and you can see the whole champagne thing…
      
      $ (to random lackey, whispers) he is 21 right?
      
      Andorran Resident: Mr Cash-man…
      
      $ Its pronou–mm, yes Aroldis?
      
      Andorran Resident: I think I like the way winning smells.
      
      $ So do I son (snnniiiiiifffFFFFFF), so do I.
pat

For what it’s worth, Chapman has already spoken to the Mets at CitiField.

I’m sure that was exhilarating with the crickets and tumbleweeds rolling around the infield.
- jsbrendog
  
  im sorry mr wilpon and minaya, but who are the brooklyn dodgers?
  - Camilo Gerardo – your inception? fuck perception, go with what makes sense
    
    lol, shouldn’t Yankees have a tribute at citifield?
whozat

I’m sure last night’s game was a hell of a sell-job :-)
- pat
  
  Hopefully they mirrored the recruiting strategy of Tech University when going after hoops superstar Jesus Shuttlesworth. That would entail a sell job as well as a few other jobs along the way.
  - http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Ridiculous Upside
    
    http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eXQh.....T+GAME.jpg
    
    Google Image Search rocks.
    - pat
      
      hahahah that’s perfect.
      - Raf
        
        ha awesome
    - GG2000
      
      Kim Jones and Nancy Newman? :-)
- Bill R
  
  seriously! All you have to say is would you like to be a part of that celebration? Then sign on the dotted line! Who could refuse!?
Marcus

“Career suicide” for Cashman or Chapman? Or both? I can see both.

Btw, when I see the last name “Chapman”, I don’t instinctively think “Cuban”. I wonder how he ended up with that name?
- Free Mike Vick
  
  i agree….perhaps he should change his name to “Castro”…thats much more Cuban.
- http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Ridiculous Upside
  
  Chapman’s grandparents emigrated to Cuba from Jamaica.
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aroldis_Chapman
  
  Wiki to the rescue.
  
  “Career suicide” for Cashman or Chapman? Or both? I can see both.
  
  Put me down for “neither”.
  - pat
    
    If Igawa didn’t kill Cashmans career then that man is bullet proof.
  - http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Ridiculous Upside
    
    The sourced article from ESPN’s Jorge Arangure Jr.:
    
    Chapman comes from a humble upbringing. Juan Alberto Chapman Benett and his wife, Maria Caridad De La Cruz, always hoped for great things from their son Albertin, whom they named after a Cuban movie star. But mostly everybody called Albertin by his middle name Aroldis (pronounced “AH-roll-dis”), which had been an uncle’s name.
    
    Chapman’s father was a boxing trainer and then later worked for the city. His mother did not work. Chapman’s paternal grandparents had emigrated from Jamaica to Cuba in order to get a better education, but even that move was not enough to turn the family’s fortunes. The Chapmans, whose last name can be traced to English settlers in Jamaica in the late 1600s, were not a prominent family.
    http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/.....id=4381376
    
    Umm… hey, Jose, I can think of a reason why the Afro-Caribbean Chapmans of Jamaica have a prominent and distinguished English family name and yet were a poor family of no means. Think about it, it’ll come to ya.
    - pat
      
      Aww those nice English Settlers adopted his family!
      
      /naive’d
  - Marcus
    
    My bad, I didn’t mean to imply that I think that both of their careers would kill themselves (wait– is it the career that’s killing itself, or the career that kills the person in that career?) as a result of a bad contract, I just wondered which one Ben was referring to.
    - http://www.secondavenuesagas.com Benjamin Kabak
      
      I wasn’t referring to either of them since I didn’t write this one! Mike was referring to a GM willing to give Aroldis $60 million up front. I think he’ll get $30 million, which is more than Jose Contreras, the last heralded Cuban pitcher to land on Andorra’s ~~shores~~ land-locked something or other, got.
      - Marcus
        
        Ugh, FAIL on many counts. Haha, usually it’s people asking “Mike” a question, when the author is Ben or Joe.
        
        Again, my apologies on that.
Danny

If last night’s game doesn’t get him excited for Yankee baseball, I don’t know what would…
- tim randle
  
  Game 4 of the WS with 2x the booze, broads and bling?
Januz

Chapman at the game is very smart on the Yankees end. It reminds me of “White Out” at State College before they play Ohio State, when they have prized recruits making official visits. This kind of atmosphere (Along with winning) generates interest in prospects.
- http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Ridiculous Upside
  
  I like how you used the specific example of Penn State’s strategy of bringing recruits on campus to watch a big game… even though every other college also does this all the time as well and it’s not at all unique.
  - Januz
    
    The reason why I use Penn State as an example, is this is the college team that I root for. I keep track of this team’s recruiting right up through National Signing Day (In fact, they have the number TWO recruiting class in the country (Right behind Texas)).
    - http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Ridiculous Upside
      
      Ah, that is good, thank you, for explaining that. I wasn’t clear on it (but now I am (since you explained, why you chose that example (it helps make more sense now))).
      - tim randle
        
        …somebody doesnt do well when there isnt baseball every day…
        
        :)
      - andrew
        
        ietc
nirzhor

I could be a minority in this,but wouldn’t taking the 20 mill and spending on the draft be better for the team? there is no guarantee that Chapman is any better than Brackman, right? but he would be a hell of an addition to the farm.
- Bill R
  
  That would be a sound thought if the Yankees didn’t have a bazillion dollars!
- http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Ridiculous Upside
  
  Let’s do both.
  - nirzhor
    
    Do it Cash
- Januz
  
  I am a stong believer in the draft, and I actually do not think they spend enough. That being said, because of their depth and pitcher and catcher, they can afford to be very selective about who they actually sign (After Heathcott and Murphy of course). This is why they spent huge dollars on Mitchell, DeLuca and Stoneburner, and said no to Lyons and Neade. They simply feel those three, Cotham, Gerritse, and Chico have the potential to be Major Leaguers not just organizational filler
  - pat
    
    Don’t forget DeLuca! Prep lefty ftw!
    - pat
      
      Dammit I didn’t read thoroughly enough! Ftl!
  - nirzhor
    
    I agree with you , but they could go for 1 signability case only draft and draft no fillers ,but take only the best players on the board
    - Januz
      
      There are two reasons why you SHOULD draft filler: 1: Because you need depth in any organization (Even in college football someone has to sit on the bench as a backup at USC or Florida, they can’t have 82 superstars). To use in an emergency or to rest players. Obviously there are also teams like the Mets and Toronto who draft and sign just about ALL filler (But that is another issue).
      - Chris
        
        Plus it’s probably cheaper and easier to sign a bunch of draft filler for the lower level teams than to try to sign minor league FAs to fill those spots.
  - Reggie C.
    
    Of those 6 pitchers you listed , none have the raw tools possessed by Chapman. I’m pretty sure Jim Callis has actually said that Chapman would’ve been a top 5 draft pick. That Chapman isn’t an American citizen and not subject to the draft is his luck.
    
    Its a roll of the dice for sure, but Chapman has tape. If Chapman busts, he’d still be a smaller bust than Dice-K has been to this point.
    - Januz
      
      I agree with you that NONE of the pitchers have the raw tools that Chapman does. But there is a lot more involved with pitching than just a fastball (See Kyle Farnsworth). If three of those six pitchers become major leaguers the Yankees did very well.
mustang

It’s just not fair all Cashman had to do was point towards the field.
LiveFromNewYork

Mr. Chapman, do you want to play for New York or…..some loser club (pick a team, any team).
- tim randle
  
  …like, say, those grown men crying in that other dugout? look, all i’m saying is if you like wins, Mo makes those. if you like golf on the other hand…citifield IS a pitcher’s park…
DerMegalodonster

Couldn’t have worked out better for the Yanks… clinching the championship against another interested team.

I hope Cashman bought him a bus ticket to Fenway and sent him off with a note for Theo, “Sorry, didn’t mean to get champagne on him… maybe ole John can take his hands out of his pockets and buy him a new outfit… regards, Bri'”
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