The Kansas City Royals signed a controversial relief pitcher on Thursday.
Kansas City and reliever Aroldis Chapman agreed to terms on a one-year contract. Chapman, 34, will join the Royals after several years with the New York Yankees. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported on Chapman’s signing. Feinsand tweeted, “Chapman gets one year at $3.75 million plus performance bonuses from the Royals, per source.”
Chapman gets one year at $3.75 million plus performance bonuses from the Royals, per source.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) January 19, 2023
In December 2015, Chapman was involved in an alleged domestic violence incident with his girlfriend in Florida. An Orange County Register article once wrote of the incident, “Yahoo Sports reported Monday it had obtained a police report from the Oct. 30 incident in which Chapman allegedly had fired the gunshots in the garage of his Miami area home after an argument with his girlfriend. Chapman’s girlfriend told police he had choked her and pushed her against the wall.”
Chapman received a 30-game suspension for his involvement in the incident in 2016.
Reactions to the Royals’ signing came in after it was made official.
First, Ryan Garcia was thrilled the Yankees no longer had Chapman around. Which just about says it all.
Meanwhile, the Yanks Go Yard Fansided account perfectly described the fanbase’s opinion on the move.
When two people run this twitter account and they both hate Aroldis Chapman: pic.twitter.com/G1qCz1jOOB
— Yanks Go Yard (@YanksGoYardFS) January 19, 2023
Then, Adam Grassani tweeted an absolutely hilarious Spongebob video describing how they think the final meeting between Chapman and Yankees GM Brian Cashman went.
Brian Cashman’s final conversation with Aroldis Chapman. pic.twitter.com/HavFmgwYmz https://t.co/N7wTpZEmt2
— Adam Grassani (@AGrassani6) January 19, 2023
Elsewhere, Marlins reporter Craig Mish took the time to downplay any reports of interest from Miami.
Despite anything you may have seen, read, or heard, the Marlins never made a single contractual offer to Aroldis Chapman. This includes following his workout yesterday.
— Craig Mish (@CraigMish) January 19, 2023
Then, finally, Offseason Joey reminded us of the time Chapman gave up a walk-off home run at Yankee Stadium.
I present to you, the most Aroldis Chapman thing ever:
Giving up a walk-off HR at home to the Mets. pic.twitter.com/Wzgpy6sdSQ
— Joey (@DJLeMVP) January 19, 2023
