Red Sox Fans Already Detest the Aroldis Chapman Deal

Aroldis Chapman is not to be trusted around women or in the month of October.

Aroldis Chapman, who just signed to a one-year, $10.75 million contract with the Red Sox, choked his girlfriend in 2015 before firing eight gunshots in their garage while she ran outside to take care of her four-month old child.

I’m disgusted by that as it is. But, less importantly, let’s not forget that Aroldis Chapman is also terrible in the highest leverage situations. He can’t handle them! (More on that below). So it should come as no surprise most Red Sox fans absolutely detest this deal. He’s just a small sample of what’s on Twitter:

Chapman also posted a picture of himself in a Boston hat as reports of the signing broke, and let’s just say he’s not getting a very warm welcome in the replies from a fury of irate fans:

And those are just the ones that aren’t vulgar. There are much nastier messages out there if you want to go check those out yourself.

Oh, and all of this is before we get to the problems with him as a baseball player. He may have the velocity, but he’s turning 37 in February and still doesn’t know where it’s going.

And that was actually an improvement on some of the walk numbers he posted in 2021 and 2022. Since the Covid lockdowns, he’s posted a BB/9 of 6.0, which is part of the reason why many fans have had this thought about him for years:

How about his career at Fenway Park?

Also, in terms of a baseball fit, our own Dan Secatore noted in our Slack chennel that the Sox currently employ the worst receiving catcher in baseball in Connor Wong, and just signed a guy with a 99mph fastball and terrible command. Lovely!

Photo by Elsa/Getty Images

But, for just a moment, let’s give Chapman the benefit of the doubt he doesn’t deserve. Let’s assume his teammates won’t be bothered by the fact he’s a domestic abuser and he gives the team outstanding pitching during the entire regular season. If that happens, do you trust him in October in the absolute biggest of big spots the sport can offer? Because I sure as hell don’t.

Just take a couple of examples from the prime of his career when he should have been at the height of his powers.

Most famously, he gave up this walk-off home run to Jose Altuve and the Astros in Game 6 of the 2019 ALCS, which stretched the Yankees’ pennant drought at the time to a full decade:

But before that, he also gave up what should have become one of the most important home runs in baseball history in Game 7 of the 2016 World Series.

And what’s one of the biggest reasons why it didn’t become one of the most famous home runs in baseball history? Because two Cleveland batters in the bottom of the 9th inning (Carlos Santana and Jason Kipnis) missed golden opportunities to assail two more Chapman cookies that glided over the middle of the plate like batting practice appetizers.

I mean, look at this pitch to Santana:

That should have been hammered for a walk-off home run to win the damn World Series! It was a flat 86 MPH slider down Ding Dong Drive! Aroldis Chapman should be a taboo word within a 300 mile radius of Chicago; hated the way Bill Buckner, Bucky Dent and Aaron Boone were hated here for costing their team the World Series and allowing the curse to live on. That’s the legacy Aroldis Chapman deserved.

But Chapman didn’t get what he deserved. Instead, he got away with another pitch that was almost as bad to Jason Kipnis the very next at bat and wriggled his way out of the inning and into a World Series ring. Again, disgusting!

Everything about this signing is just brutal. If I have to hate on Red Sox relievers, I want it to be because they pitch like trash and give up bombs in big spots, not because they’re domestic abusers. Unfortunately, Chapman will be checking both boxes.

The good news? Boston fans excel at making home town players miserable when there’s reason to dislike them, and this could be an all-timer. I can’t wait to hear the boos when this guy enters the game. Unlike in 2016, he’ll actually be getting what he deserves.