Aroldis Chapman
by FusilliJerry88 on Oct 25, 2009 12:40 PM EDT
21 comments
Since we lost out on Sano, and really have'nt made any big splash with any International signings like NH has promised to do; Why haven'nt we been mentioned as one of the teams that are going after highly touted Cuban prospect Aroldis Chapman? He's 21 years old, lefty, 6'4 200 lbs, played for the Cuban national team, being compared to Stephen Strasburg, and has been clocked throwing 102 mph.
Scouts also say that right now hes 80% ready to pitch in the major leagues. Which would make this signing even more valuable. If we could get him signed this year, and send him straight to either AA or AAA he could arrive in our starting rotation at the same time that Alderson and Lincoln are, and the same time the Alvarez is arriving at 3rd base. I've also recently heard scouts say the Pirates have a solid rotation, but have too many 3-4 starters and no 1-2 caliber starters. Well I think Chapman would be someone who would bring that 1-2 top of the rotation stuff. He would have a much higher ceiling than any Pirate pitcher in our organization right now, and any pitcher that was drafted in the past years draft other than Strasburg.
Sano recieved a bonus of around $3 million if I can remember correctly, and I'm sure Chapmans demands would be right around that number. Something that we can definetely afford, and something that we should definetely pursue, but like always the Pirates will sit back, and watch the Yankees or Red Sox sign him, and thats why there playing in October and were not. Does anyone have any information on this? Have we spoke with his agent at all? Have we been interested in him at all?
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Chapman's Demands
Unfortunately for the Pirates, since Chapman will be a free agent, he hes no restrictions on how much he will get, not to mention that he is in his early twenties and much more of a known quantity than a sixteen year old from the Dominican Republic. So teams will be willing to shell out a lot more money for him.
Early speculation is that he will hunt for something in the range of what Dice-k got from the Red Sox three years ago. If that is the case then I doubt the Pirates will have any chance to sign him.
by thefutureisnear on Oct 25, 2009 12:49 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Money....
It’s been reported that the biding for Chapman could be in the 40 – 60 million dollar range. We won’t be in on him.
by Slick1 on Oct 25, 2009 1:30 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Its cute that you think that he could be signed for the same as Sano
Add to that the fact that he is going to be the Yankee’s guest at game 6 tonight and I am not exactly sure how you think that we can get in on him. Aroldis Chapman bobblehead night every night in July?
by MrPedriqueIfYoureNasty on Oct 25, 2009 6:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Now if you changed Chapman to Yusei Kikuchi I might have been with you but he will be staying in Japan anyway.
by MrPedriqueIfYoureNasty on Oct 25, 2009 6:20 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I like the other Cuban guy...
Noel Arguelles. He seems like he could be had for much cheaper and he still has pretty big upside.
by joegonzo on Oct 25, 2009 1:47 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
The Pirates should definitely go after some of the other top prospects from the region.
Do it just to develop Huntington’s negotiating skills, if nothing else…
by Adam Reynolds on Oct 25, 2009 7:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Different region.
So I don’t know how much would transfer.
And depending on exactly what you mean by “go after”, you could end up in anything from a felony (doing business w/ Cuba around the embargo) to an international incident (aiding and abetting in a defection).
by Vlad on Oct 26, 2009 10:32 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
This is one of the many problems with the MLB system...
This guy gets to avoid the MLB draft and go straight for the larger market teams because he lives outside of the US. Last i checked the worst teams should have a shot at the best talent. Not the other way around.
by phil79 on Oct 25, 2009 5:19 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
not to mention the need for a mandatory slotting system
even if he was in the draft, all he would do is ask for enormous amounts of money that the small market team that picked has no way to afford.
by tdp992 on Oct 25, 2009 8:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I just read that the Mets don’t think they have enough money to be serious bidders for Chapman. They were allegedly told he was looking for about $60 million. I’m going to go out on a limb and say the Pirates are unlikely to be involved.
by ElDuce on Oct 25, 2009 9:19 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
heh
he’d be getting paid over twice as much as every current player put together.
by BlindSquirrel on Oct 26, 2009 7:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Not that it makes a difference on whether or not the Pirates will be involved, but it’s not going to be paid over 1 year. Jose Contreras, for example, got $32 million spread over 4 years. Not sure what the upfront bonus was. It’s also very unlikely that he actually approaches $60 million. Probably ends up below $40 million. I guess 60’s just a starting point.
by ElDuce on Oct 27, 2009 2:24 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
“… the Mets don’t think they have enough money to…”
Wait, what?
Free your ass and your mind will follow.
by cocktailsfor2 on Oct 26, 2009 9:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I’m still recovering from the last time the Pirates signed one of those “major league ready” Cuban defectors. I may never recover, actually.
by ElDuce on Oct 25, 2009 9:29 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Although I don’t think it was ever seriously considered as a possibility, some mentioned that Bryce Harper could have gone out of the country for a year, played in Latin America and established citizenship (or whatever you need to do) and then become a free agent.
Chapman is uber-talented, but I’ve read his stuff varies a lot from outing to outing (sometimes he has a 100 mph heater in one outing, and then low 90’s the next) and his history is hit-and-miss against some outiside competition. All of this is a long-winded way of saying the Bucs aren’t even going to be close to being in the running for signing this guy, and nor should they be. He’s really talented, but small-market teams can’t really tie up a huge percentage of their payroll in one player, let alone a pitcher. Stick to the draft and try to sign the young international guys.
by NastyNate82 on Oct 26, 2009 12:00 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Sports Illustrated
This rumor about Harper was in the SI cover story on him. When I read it way back then, I assumed he would do this. His parents didn’t want him to, but I’m sure the right agent could give them 10’s of millions of reasons why he should. Maybe he was concerned that MLB would change the rules if he tried this. I’m pretty sure Alfonzo Soriano did exactly this. He played in Japan for a year so that he could sign a minor league deal with the Yankees. If I remember right, the Yankees orchestrated the whole thing.
by uneasy rider on Oct 27, 2009 9:06 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Soriano
was never subject to the draft in the first place because he wasn’t a U.S. citizen. His scam was that he “retired” from Japanese baseball so that he could get out of his contract with Hiroshima and sign with the Yankees.
Harper is in a completely different situation. At a minimum, he’d have to renounce his U.S. citizenship and establish residence in another country for year and even then, who knows what MLB would do. The whole idea of going to another country was never serious, Boras just threw it out there because he wanted to create a aura of hype around his client.
by maguro on Oct 27, 2009 9:38 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
The false "retirement"...
…is also the ploy Nomo used to come to the US before the posting system was in effect.
Renouncing your citizenship is pretty hardcore. It’s like cutting off a piece of yourself. I’m not sure I’d go for that, even if it meant being rich.
by Vlad on Oct 27, 2009 10:01 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
SHOCKING NEWS!
Chapman was a guest of the Yankees at Game 6 of the ALCS and will throwing at Fenway tomorrow. Is everyone else as surprised as I am to see these two teams involved?
by ElDuce on Oct 27, 2009 11:12 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
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