There have been many rumors that flame-thrower Aroldis Chapman will opt out of his contract with the New York Yankees. He is currently signed with the club on a five-year, $86 million deal. Ken Rosenthal from The Athletic, reported earlier this month that he spoke to a source that said Chapman will “one million percent” opt out of his deal.
Amid the rumors, Aroldis Chapman has spoken publicly that these reports are false. “The report is completely false. I haven’t even spoken to my agent about it. Like I said before, we have a big task in front of us, which is to win the division and win the World Series. That’s the main focus for me right now. Contract stuff hasn’t even crossed my mind at all” said Chapman during an interview with reporters.
Chapman has also brought the point across in a Twitter post:
Don’t always believe what you hear in the media. Yankee 100% pic.twitter.com/H1IcfO9V2s
— Aroldis Chapman (@AChapman_105) July 17, 2019
Despite his recent slump and velocity decrease, Chapman is one of the best closers in baseball. He holds a 2.50 ERA with 26 saves, where he ranks third among all MLB closers this season (Baseball Reference and ESPN). Chapman has fanned 56 batters in 39.2 innings recorded.
I believe Aroldis Chapman will stay in New York. The club has everything a player desires, and he’ll definitely get paid appropriately. He also said this about New York, “the truth is, honestly, I feel really good here,” Chapman said. “There’s no reason for me to start thinking about changes or anything like that. I feel great here” (MLB.com).