The N.Y. Yankees traded for an elite pitcher who
will very likely face a disciplinary suspension by MLB.
A number of teams considered trading for the 100 mph flame thrower
but after the off field issues were looked at, they backed away.
Are the Yankees willing to overlook the allegations
that Aroldis Chapman was accused of choking his girlfriend
and firing eight shots from a handgun into some
furniture in his garage ?
Do the Yankees feel that regardless of guilt or innocence,
the trade for Chapman was a good deal strictly from a baseball
perspective and are counting on the loyal fan base to also suspend judgment
of the individual and support the move ?
Domestic violence and Gun use are serious issues that no one takes lightly
these days.
My belief is … the Yankees did their due diligence.
The incident happened in Florida. Their corporate offices are
in Tampa Florida, and they are known to have a close working relationship
with law enforcement in that State.
The Davie Florida Police Dept. who responded to the incident said
there was “insufficient evidence” to charge Chapman and listed
the Oct. 30th incident a closed matter.
From purely a baseball standpoint the trade of
Cotham, Davis, Jagielo and Renda for Chapman is a bargain to say the least.
The Yankees now have a back end of the bullpen that consists of
Chapman, Betances & Miller who combined for a
1.70 ERA in 2015, along with a staggering 347 K’s in 212 innings !!!!
My sincere hope is … the private investigating done by the Yankees concluded that
the claim of domestic violence (girlfriend claimed she was choked), was unfounded
(local police did note there were no bruises on her neck) and this was a one time incident
of ill advised gun use. Hopefully Aroldis Chapman stays out of trouble while wearing the pinstripes,
because if not …it will be the Yankees who shot themselves in the foot.
