The biggest piece of news on day one of the Winter Meetings was the rumors that the Los Angeles Dodgers had acquired All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman from the Cincinnati Reds. That’s all that is was, a rumor. Later in the day it was reported that the deal was not done and that other teams could be involved.
Well, a deal for Chapman is certainly not happening anytime soon, as Tim Brown and Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reported that the left-handed pitcher was allegedly involved in a domestic dispute with his girlfriend back in October.
According to police reports, that Yahoo Sports were able to obtain, Chapman’s girlfriend told officers that he “choked” her and pushed her against a wall. It’s also been reported that Chapman fired a handgun in the garage of his Miami-area home.
There were no arrests made that night on October 30. Chapman’s attorney, Jay Reisinger, told Yahoo Sports on Monday night, “I’ve reviewed the facts as portrayed. On behalf of Mr. Chapman, we vehemently deny the allegations as stated. Beyond that, we have no further comment at this time.”
According to Yahoo, the reason why the trade between the Dodgers and Reds were held up and never completed was because of this incident.
Brown and Passan also reported that major league baseball will hold their own investigation. With the new domestic violence protocol in place, it’s not a shock that major league baseball will investigate this serious matter.
Cincinnati Reds president of baseball operations Walt Jocketty said that a trade of Aroldis Chapman could be delayed by several weeks, as reported by MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon.
If the reports are true, who knows how Chapman’s future will unfold. The 27-year-old flame thrower is coming into his contract year and was most likely going to be playing for a different ballclub, as the Reds aren’t close to contention and the team has been actively listening on trade offers for the Cuban pitcher.