The Risks of Signing Chapman

A lot of Yankees fans, including myself, have been intrigued by the Cuban defector and are hopeful the Yankees sign the 21-year-old fireballer. But the NY Times' Jack Curry says hold on, and points out the risks involved in signing Chapman.

When the Cuban pitcher Aroldis Chapman visited Yankee Stadium in October, the Yankees asked his representative if Chapman could throw a bullpen session for them. Edwin Mejia, who has since been replaced as the agent, said Chapman would not at that time.

The Yankees, like every other major league team, had barely seen Chapman pitch, so his refusal disappointed them. Mejia mentioned that Chapman wanted a free-agent contract worth $50 million to $60 million. Without getting a chance to extensively evaluate him, the Yankees would not offer a fraction of that amount.

...

Joe Kehoskie, an agent who has represented Cuban defectors for 11 years, said Chapman “might have more upside than any pitcher on the planet.” But in terms of being ready for the major leagues, Kehoskie added that Chapman “is a strong candidate for being the fool’s gold of the current free-agent market” because he is still developing complementary pitches and working on his control.

He also pointed out Chapman's modest stats in Cuba where he is a career 24-21 with a 3.72 ERA in four seasons. He has struck out379, but also walked 210 in 341.2 innings. Last year he had a very average 4.03 ERA in 118.1 innings.

I don't like the fact that the Yankees weren't allowed to see him throw, but maybe after defecting and going through the process of becoming a free agent he wasn't in game shape.

Either way, I still don't have a problem with the Yankees throwing some money at a work in progress, especially one that throws 100 MPH and is still just 21.