In a surprising move this past Sunday, the Cincinnati Reds signed prized left-hander Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman to a six-year contract worth $30.25 million, with a signing bonus of $16.25 million, outbidding several other Major League teams including the Toronto Blue Jays. Most of the money will be spread out over 10 years, according to several reports.
The 21-year-old was strongly coveted by the Toronto Blue Jays over the last couple of weeks. The Blue Jays under rookie general manager Alex Anthopoulos have focused on scouting and player development to turn Toronto into a perennial contender. The Jays did their homework on Chapman, as they saw him pitch during a private workout at the beginning of January, and reportedly offered him a contract around $23 million.
While the Jays lost out on Chapman, they did show that they were in the running as one of the heavy favourites to sign him, along with the Angels and the Marlins. This has shown fans that the Jays are willing to spend money on improving the team. The signing of Chapman would have made sense due to his age, unlimited upside, and talent, fitting into Toronto’s long-term plan.
The signing of Chapman is unique compared to other international free agents who have signed with Major League clubs over this past decade. Cuban pitcher Jose Contreras signed a $32 million contract with the Yankees in the 2002 offseason, although he was much older than Chapman. Daisuke Matsuzaka was 25 years old when Boston signed him out of Japan. Both Contreras and Matsuzaka were ready for the Majors and dominated in an elite league for several years before they signed with their respective MLB clubs, whereas Chapman is still extremely raw and hasn’t dominated at an elite level yet.
Chapman is what every scout drools over. His fastball sits around the mid to upper-90s with good tailing action and has been clocked as high as 101 mph. However, his secondary pitches and command are inconsistent according to scouts. He’s more of a thrower than a pitcher at this stage of his career. Chapman will probably require a full year or more in the minors to work on his development and path to the Majors. Rather than helping a Major League team in the short term, he is a long-term investment that will take time to develop.
However, signing Chapman does come with some risks. He is a young and unproven talent who hasn’t yet faced stiff competition, as he will when he pitches in North America. Furthermore, his track record is unknown—is he really 21 years old? There’s suspicion that he is older than he claims to be. Many scouts have been split on Chapman with some saying he has the chance to pitch at an elite level in the Major Leagues, while others think he won’t be able to handle the workload of a starter, meaning a future in the bullpen is a possibility.
Is Chapman a good investment for the Reds? We’ll have to wait and see. Chapman has all the talent and upside to either become a number-one starter at the Major League level or, to become a severe mount of frustration. It’s a terrific gamble the Reds are willing to take, since the reward is huge. The Reds could feature one of the National League’s strongest rotations in the next two to three years, which could possibly include Chapman, Edinson Volquez, Johnny Cueto, Homer Bailey, and 2009 first-round pick Mike Leake.
As for the Blue Jays, they lost out on signing Chapman. However, it’s not the end of the world since they do have an abundance of young pitching. Their serious involvement does demonstrate to fans that the money is there to be spent if it makes sense in the near future, and it shows that Alex Anthopoulos is willing to take the necessary chances on players like Chapman to compete in the AL East.
