The end of the Chapman era

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Good riddance to the Cuban Missile.  After not showing up for a mandatory team workout last week, the Yankees have announced that Aroldis Chapman will not be on the ALDS roster and, in all likelihood, will never suit up for the team again.  This strange ending to an otherwise fairly successful saga is the cherry on top of a truly terrible year for Chapman, one which saw him struggle through multiple IL stints as well as general ineffectiveness.  He won’t be missed.

Photo Credit: Frank Franklin Ii/Associated Press


While Chapman was a question mark to make the ALDS bullpen to begin with, him being officially left off means the already-thin New York bullpen will need someone else to step up in the late innings.  Once a dominant and consistent unit early in the season, the Yankees bullpen is now their true Achilles heel and hopefully not the one unit that lets them down this October. 

 

While Chapman was far from a lock from getting meaningful innings in the first place, the late-innings will now be squarely in the lap of Jonathan Loaisiga, Miguel Castro, Lou Trivino, Clay Holmes, Clarke Schmidt and Wandy Peralta.  Ideally, the Yankees will not designate one specific closer, and instead go bullpen by committee throughout the playoffs, and play the matchups to determine which pitcher appears in what inning.  It’s an effective, albeit counterintuitive, strategy that the Rays have employed for years.

 

Aroldis Chapman ends his 2022 campaign with a 4-4 record, a 4.46 ERA, 1.431 WHIP, a career-low 10.9 K/9, a BB/9 of 6.9 (second highest of his career), an ERA+ of 88 and a FIP of 4.57.  Just an ugly season across the board, and now his Yankee tenure also ends in disgrace. 

 

The Yankees made every effort to support him over the years, trading him away for a chance at a title only to give him a massive free-agent contract to come back, and extension on said contract, kept him on the roster and as the closer through an ugly domestic violence case, stood by him through battles with inconsistency, and even his tattoo-related midseason IL stint which led to an infection in his leg.  But not showing up to a team workout before the playoffs because he wasn’t guaranteed a spot on the roster was the final straw. And to be honest, the Yankees are better off without him.  Good riddance, jackass.


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