Aroldis Chapman

Odds And Ends: Chapman, Nats, Buehrle

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 13, 2009 at 2:43pm CDT

Odds And Ends: Chapman, Betancourt, Masset

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 10, 2009 at 4:14pm CDT

Some links in anticipation of the weekend…

According to Baseball America, there's no evidence to suggest that Aroldis Chapman is 26 years old and allegations that he's any older than 21 don't pass the logic test.
ESPN.com's Jayson Stark has the oddest anecdotes and funniest quotes from the first half of the season.
The AP (via ESPN) reports that this year's All Stars will receive a combined $2.3MM in bonuses for making the team, led by Roy Halladay's $125k. I wonder who pays if Halladay's dealt before Tuesday…
As Bradford Doolittle of the Kansas City Star shows, Yuniesky Betancourt does not have much of a glove or bat, so it's puzzling that the Royals wanted him.
MLB.com's Mark Sheldon reports that the Reds aren't trading Nick Masset away, especially when his $418k salary makes him so affordable.

Aroldis Chapman May Be 26 Years Old

By Mike Axisa | July 3, 2009 at 10:40pm CDT

Jack Curry of the New York Times reports that Cuban lefthander Aroldis Chapman may be 26 years old rather than the 21 he was believed to be.

"[Chapman's] age was reported Thursday as 21, but reports in March at the World Baseball Classic said he was 26."

Chapman defected on Wednesday while in the Netherlands, and is considered the best lefthanded pitcher in the world not pitching in the Major Leagues. Obviously the age issue could affect Chapman's payday. But he still figures to draw plenty of interest, as did Jose Contreras at age 30.

Odds And Ends: Dodgers, Chapman, Kepler

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 3, 2009 at 3:04pm CDT

Some more links as we count down to the big weekend…

Diamond Leung reports that the Dodgers traded minor-league pitcher Stephen Randolph to the Royals. Randolph, who was named in the Mitchell Report, pitched well as a starter in Triple A this month.
Aroldis Chapman's whereabouts remain unknown, according to ESPN.com.
Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post says "Clint Hurdle would not have fallen on his sword had the 'pen been mighty under his watch." Or, in less poetic terms, the Rockies have an improved bullpen.
Signees from the Dominican Republic will now have to take DNA tests to prove their identity before leaving the country, according to Kiley McDaniel of Baseball Prospectus.
As ESPN.com's Keith Law reports, the Twins have agreed to sign German catcher Max Kepler for an undisclosed amount.

Heyman On V-Mart, Red Sox, Chapman

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 3, 2009 at 1:41pm CDT

Jon Heyman of SI.com says the Red Sox will come calling if the Indians are willing to part with Victor Martinez. And take this for what it's worth, but the Indians were scouting Boston's best prospects this week. Here are details on those two clubs and the rest of Heyman's rumors:

Clay Buchholz, Justin Masterson and Michael Bowden are just the sort of MLB-ready pitchers the Indians seek.
Still, the Indians would require a stunning amount in return for Martinez or Cliff Lee, since both players can be part of a contending Indians club for affordable 2010 options.
Generally speaking, the Red Sox are reluctant to deal their top young pitching.
The Indians are relatively deep at catcher, with Kelly Shoppach and prospect Carlos Santana.
Red Sox first base prospect Lars Anderson could also appeal to the Indians.
The Pirates initially asked for Craig Stammen or Garret Mock in their recent deal with the Nats, but Mike Rizzo wasn't willing to deal them.
The Phillies discussed Pedro Martinez, since there are few good fits for them on the trade market now.
Heyman says Doug Davis makes sense for the Brewers.
A D'Backs person says "[Dan] Haren stays," even though many of his teammates are believed to be available.
Heyman names the Yankees as the early favorites to sign Aroldis Chapman.

Miguel Angel Sano Rumors: Friday

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 3, 2009 at 10:16am CDT

The Orioles will likely make Miguel Angel Sano an offer in the coming days, though they haven't yet done so, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. Orioles president Andy MacPhail said the team wants to see how MLB's investigation into Sano's age turns out. The O's have decided Sano's worth a certain amount, but, obviously did not disclose the number.

Another Orioles note: they have scouted Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman, but aren't likely to engage in a bidding war to acquire the lefty prospect.

Meanwhile, Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette repeats that the Pirates have offered Sano a deal, which they followed up with a visit to his family home. However, nothing will likely be finalized until next week, when MLB could finish its investigation.

Aroldis Chapman Interests Yankees

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 2, 2009 at 1:22pm CDT

The Yankees will have interest in flame-throwing lefty Aroldis Champan once he establishes residency in another country and becomes a free agent, according to Yahoo's Tim Brown and ESPN.com's Jorge Arangure Jr.. The 21-year-old just defected from Cuba and his agent says he could be ready for the majors by spring.

As one General Manager told Brown: "all 30 teams will be interested to some degree." Check out this post for more details on the star pitcher, his weaknesses and the price he could command.

Aroldis Chapman’s Value

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 2, 2009 at 11:40am CDT

Aroldis Chapman defected from Cuba and he's now free to sign with the highest bidder. So how much will teams offer the player many scouts consider the best left-handed pitching prospect in the world? ESPN.com's Jorge Arangure Jr. gathered some estimates and hears that the 21-year-old could sign a deal worth between $30-60MM.

When Jose Contreras defected from Cuba, the Yankees signed him for $32MM and Chapman's agent claims his client is the best player to defect since Contreras. But his agent isn't the only one singing Chapman's praises; one scouting director called the magnitude of the news "shocking."

Chapman, who also goes by the first name Albertin, can throw 100mph, but his secondary pitches need development and he's considered raw. Some question his maturity, but those who watched him in the WBC say there's no question that Chapman has charisma.

Arangure Jr. reminds us that we could be months away from a bidding war. Once we get there, the Yankees will have interest. Is he comparable to Stephen Strasburg? Most definitely. Kiley McDaniel says he's not quite as polished but represents a great example of what Strasburg would get as a free agent.

Baseball America's John Manuel says Daisuke Matsuzaka and Contreras are fair points of reference for Chapman. The Cuban lefty is younger than either of those two were when they came to the majors, and he throws harder. Manuel talked to a scout who says "you'll be searching your whole life" if you're looking for more in a pitcher.

So when will it all start? Chapman has to establish residency in another country, but his agent says he'll be ready by Spring Training, according to Yahoo's Tim Brown.

Aroldis Chapman Defects

By Tim Dierkes | July 2, 2009 at 12:13am CDT

Aroldis Chapman is a 21 year-old lefty who's touched 100 mph with his fastball. Interested? According to CubaenCuentro.com, Chapman defected from the Cuban national team while the club was stationed in the Netherlands (English version here). Chapman is currently in an undisclosed location, and he told the paper he plans to sign with a Major League club.

Chapman pitched in the WBC against Japan in March, and R.J. Anderson of FanGraphs provided analysis. A video clip of a different WBC appearance can be seen here.

Kiley McDaniel of Baseball Prospectus confirms the defection.

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