Ring in hand, Aroldis rolls back to New York
OXON HILL, MD. — Aroldis Chapman found a spot in a most familiar bullpen — a very rich spot, too.
The hard-throwing closer reached agreement to return to the New York Yankees on Wednesday night with the highest-priced contract ever for a relief pitcher, an $86 million deal for five years.
A person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press that the contract was pending a physical. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal was not yet complete.
“I have no concerns about his toughness, mental toughness,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Thursday, without confirming the agreement. “It just comes down to will he maintain his health and performance levels, and if he does that then he’ll be one of the elite closers throughout the contract.”
Chapman gets an $11 million signing bonus, of which $1 million is payable this year and $5 million in each of the next two years, and annual salaries of $15 million. He has an opt out after 2019, a full no-trade provision for the first three years and then a limited no-trade that says he can’t be dealt to any of the five California teams or Seattle without his consent.
Chapman was acquired by New York from the Cincinnati Reds last offseason, then missed the first 29 games of the season due to a domestic violence suspension from Major League Baseball. The Cuban was traded to the Chicago Cubs in late July and helped them win the World Series.