Chapman to Yankees: Cashman Must Apologize First
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- Aroldis Chapman said Yankees GM Brian Cashman must apologize before he'd consider returning to New York, calling out how his 2022 stint ended
- Chapman was left off the 2022 ALDS roster for missing a mandatory team practice; Cashman labeled it insubordination, while Chapman says he had permission to travel to Miami
- Chapman is pitching like an elite closer in 2025 — 1 earned run, 26 strikeouts in 19⅔ innings, and a 13-for-13 mark in save chances for the last-place Red Sox
- Across 87 games with Boston, Chapman owns a 1.00 ERA, 45 saves and 111 strikeouts in 81 innings
- The Red Sox sit at 27-39, 13½ games behind Tampa Bay and 5½ games out of the third AL wild-card spot, making Chapman a likely Aug. 3 trade chip
- Chapman is on a one-year, $13.3 million deal with a $13 million 2027 option that vests if he throws 40 innings in 2026 and passes a postseason physical
- During his Yankees run from 2016 to 2022, Chapman saved 146 games and made three All-Star teams, adding context for why a Bronx reunion is plausible
Why it matters: Chapman's no-apology stance gives Cashman a public condition to weigh before the Aug. 3 deadline. The 27-39 Red Sox, 5½ games out of a wild-card spot, have little leverage to hold him — and a contender absorbing his $13.3 million salary gets a closer with a 1.00 ERA in a Boston uniform.
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