Why don't the Yanks/Sox throw 50 million at this guy? I just don't understand the lack of interest from the big spending clubs.
What a great move though.
Why don't the Yanks/Sox throw 50 million at this guy? I just don't understand the lack of interest from the big spending clubs.
What a great move though.
I can't be the only one who first saw this news on another site and immediately assumed the headline writer had misspelled "Red Sox."
Otherwise, general agreement with the chorus... I like the way the deal was structured/backloaded/deferred so that it probably won't force any other immediate moves to make room for it. Or maybe Walt was playing a little possum with the "we have no money" thing. Whichever. Don't care at the moment.
Reading comprehension is not just an ability, it's a choice
when is the Presser?
Yep. If someone like the Cubs or Yankees or Red Sox had signed Chapman it would have been a great deal, but as soon as the Reds sign him it's very risky and/or dumb. I don't care what team it is or how small their payroll is, if you have a chance to sign a premium talent like Aroldis Chapman for the price they did, you do it.
Once more Walt Jocketty has proven why he's one of the best GM's in the business.
Last edited by TheBurn; 01-10-2010 at 08:37 PM.
So who potentially gets DFA'd?
My group: Sam LeCure, Jordan Smith, or Drew Sutton
Here's a little piece on Chapman from Fangraphs after he defected back in July.
Aroldis Chapman Reportedly Defects
by Dave Cameron - July 2, 2009 - Share this Article
Heading up to the draft, one of the main topics of conversation was how much Stephen Strasburg was worth, and how much he’d eventually sign for. Rumors of a $50 million bonus demand were floated, while the consensus seemed to be that he’ll sign for $15 to $20 million, because he lacks the leverage to negotiate with teams besides the Washington Nationals. The big “what if” question was how much a prospect like Strasburg would get if he was a free agent.
We might find out sooner than later, because Aroldis Chapman has reportedly defected from Cuba. R.J. wrote about his WBC start here, where Chapman showed off a legitimate power fastball from the left side. In their scouting report of the top 10 WBC prospects, Baseball America got the following quote from a scout:
“If you are looking for more than that in a pitcher, you’ll be searching your whole life,” an AL scout said. “He was so much fun to watch. If he’s 21 like he’s listed, the sky’s the limit. You’ve got honestly just one or two tweaks that could be made but he could go straight to the top of a big league rotation.”
Unlike with Strasburg, or even Japanese sensation Yu Darvish, Chapman has to be evaluated on his physical tools rather than his performance, but those tools are plenty exciting. It isn’t every day that a 21-year-old LHP with a mid-90s fastball becomes available for all 30 teams to bid on.
Let’s just hope, for the good of baseball, that he doesn’t end up with the Red Sox or Yankees.
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index...rtedly-defects
The skeptic in me is tempered by the prospects of a 21-year-old kid throwing 102. . . More often than not, guys throwing 100 at age 21 end up throwing 85 by age 25. He still has the injury gauntlet to overcome too, and the total cost of his contract is ~60 percent greater than Strasburg's (a hard-thrower with considerably more polish).
Nevertheless, I'm giddy. This is the perfect move for this club, given its lack of top-shelf talent and where it resides in the contention cycle.
BTW, Jeff Passan is one of the best in the business. He did a excellent job of nailing this story. Kudos to Jeff. I enjoy reading his material.
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