Yankees May Be Among a Cuban Defector's Suitors

Yankees May Be Among a Cuban Defector's Suitors
By JACK CURRY
Published: July 3, 2009

Once pitcher Aroldis Chapman defected from the Cuban national team in
the Netherlands on Thursday, speculation instantly began over which
major league club would sign him and how much money he would command.

The Yankees, who have been at the forefront of signing international
pitchers, will have discussions about whether they should pursue the
left-handed Chapman. He fires a fastball that exceeds 100 miles per hour
and is widely considered the premier pitching prospect in Cuba. His age
was reported Thursday as 21, but reports in March at the World Baseball
Classic said he was 26.

Bart Hernandez, an agent who is hoping to represent Chapman, said
Chapman threw 100 and 101 m.p.h. "If he polishes up his changeup and
tightens up his slider, he can be a young Randy Johnson," Hernandez said.

Chapman had a 5.68 earned run average over six and a third innings while
pitching for Cuba in the World Baseball Classic in March. He was in
Rotterdam, the Netherlands, with the Cubans for a tournament but left
the team's hoteland defected. Chapman's defection was first reported by
cubaencuentro.com.

Hernandez theorized that Chapman could seek a four-year deal worth
between $30 million and $60 million, which would limit the teams that
pursue him. "You have to look at the big-market teams," Hernandez said.

Because the Yankees do not know how much Chapman will seek, General
Manager Brian Cashman declined comment. But the Yankees are known for
flexing their monetary might to add free-agent international pitchers
like Chapman.

The last time the Yankees dipped into the international pitching market,
they signed Kei Igawa to a four-year, $20 million deal in December 2006.
He was ineffective at the major league level and has been marooned at
Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season.

After Jose Contreras defected from the Cuban team in 2002, the Yankees
beat out the Boston Red Sox and signed him to a four-year, $32 million
contract. Contreras faltered and was shipped to the Chicago White Sox in
2004. Despite what happened with Contreras and Igawa, the Yankees will
most likely take a long look at Chapman. Orlando Hernandez, another
Cuban defector, was a valuable player when the Yankees won World Series
titles in 1998, 1999 and 2000.

Roberto González Echevarría, the author of "The Pride of Havana: A
History of Cuban Baseball" and a professor of Hispanic and comparative
literature at Yale University, called Chapman "the most promising young
pitcher" to leave Cuba since Fidel Castro took over in 1959.

"He throws at a 100 miles per hour, he is more polished than most young
pitchers at his age," González Echevarría said. "He struggled a little
bit in the World Baseball Classic, he got a little rattled."

González Echevarría added that Chapman "is a really hot property, and it
will be interesting to see how much teams pay to sign him."

Michael S. Schmidt contributed reporting.

Yankees May Be Among Cuban Defector's Suitors - NYTimes.com (3 July 2009)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/03/sports/baseball/03yanknotes.html?ref=baseball