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It’s not often you run into a true war of words in baseball that’s especially bitter and is still going strong after nearly four years. But that’s how the lines are drawn between Aroldis Chapman and the Yankees.
The dispute erupted in 2022, when the former closer left the team before the playoffs. It flared up on Wednesday when Chapman, now with Boston, told ESPN Deportes if he was ever traded to the Yankees, “I believe someone from (the Yankees) organization should apologize first.”
When asked by reporter Enrique Rojas if he was referring to general manager Brian Cashman, Chapman said, “yes.”
Although this feud is a tabloid dream, the likelihood of a major swap between these historic rivals is slim.
As for the odds of Cashman asking for forgiveness?
Closer to preposterous.
Cashman is notoriously tough, both in negotiations and direct dealings with players. He felt especially burned by Chapman’s disloyalty.
The backstory matters; the GM was one of several Yankees higher-ups who gave Chapman a chance to restore his reputation after a 2016 domestic violence incident.
Although no charges were ever filed, police reports said Chapman had “fired eight gunshots in the garage of his Miami-area home” following an “argument with his girlfriend in which she told police he ‘choked’ her and pushed her against a wall.”
The Yankees were widely criticized on social media for putting Chapman in Pinstripes, but they felt he was deserving of redemption. The goodwill didn’t last long, however.
The breaking point came when Chapman decided to fly home to Miami at the end of the ‘22 regular season. He was offended after losing his closer’s job to the more-effective Clay Holmes following a month-long stint on the injured list.
Chapman proceeded to completely sever ties with the Yankees after failing to report for a mandatory workout before the Division Series against Cleveland.
The departure ended what’d been an up-and-down six-year run in the Bronx. With a fastball that averaged 101.2 mph, Chapman arrived in 2017 as one of MLB’s hardest throwers. He had the makings of being the most dynamic Yankees closer since Mariano Rivera.
But Chapman is instead remembered for surrendering season-ending home runs to Houston’s Jose Altuve in the 2019 ALCS and Tampa Bay’s Mike Brosseau in the 2020 Division Series.
By then, Chapman was no longer throwing quite as hard. Nor did he seem particularly happy to be a Yankee. Chapman spent most of his time at his locker, back turned away from the room. He rarely interacted with teammates, even the Spanish-speakers.
Team officials took note of Chapman’s isolation.
“There’s some questions about whether (Chapman) has been all-in or not for a little while,” Cashman said at the time.
Someone in Chapman’s inner circle was even more candid about the wall the reliever created.
“Aroldis has a temper and he’s got pride,” the ally said. “That can be a bad combo.”
As recently as last year, when there were rumblings of a deal that could’ve sent him back to New York, Chapman revealed how much he still resented his time with the Yankees.
“I’d pack my things and go home,” he said of a potential return. “I’ll retire right on the spot if that (trade) happens. I’m not crazy. Never again.”
Chapman explained to Cuban journalist Alfre Alvarez this week that the 2022 incident was a misunderstanding created by the Yankees.
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“(Cashman) told me a month before the end of the (regular) season, ‘you’re not going to be in the playoffs,’” Chapman said. “He said, ‘for you to be in the playoffs, you have to be the Aroldis Chapman of 2016.’”
By that point, Chapman’s fastball had dwindled to 97.5 mph, a career low.
“I sat there thinking to myself, ‘2016 was like 700 years ago,’” he said. “So I responded, ‘I will play and do my best. And that’s it, you decide.’
“After that we didn’t speak again. After the (regular) season ended, I went back to Florida.”
Chapman said he was stunned to hear from the Yankees before the start of the ALDS against the Guardians. They wanted to know why he was absent from a mandatory workout. Chapman was supposed to throw a simulated game before the playoff roster was set.
“They said, why aren’t you here? I said, ‘Here? Where? What are you talking about?’” Chapman recalled. ”(Cashman) was going off on me. I said, ‘I could be at the Stadium office tomorrow at 9 a.m. Everything you’re saying to me now, you could say to my face.’”
Predictably, that in-person conversation never happened. The Yankees washed their hands of Chapman, who went on to sign a one-year deal with the Royals. It looked like his career was winding down.
But give him credit for this much: at 38, Chapman has once again re-invented himself. The fastball has dwindled to 96.8 mph, but he relies on his sinker and slider more than ever.
The arsenal is effective enough for a perfect 13-for-13 in save opportunities for the Red Sox this season. Chapman’s 0.46 ERA will have GMs lined up for a trade before next month’s deadline.
MORE BY BOB KLAPISCH
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Can Yankees step up without Aaron Judge? There’s one slugger who better | KlapischJun. 8, 2026, 4:59 p.m.
Ironically, the Yankees could be one of the suitors. They need a shutdown closer who can relegate David Bednar to the eighth inning.
Chapman would check every box – except one.
He and Cashman will probably never make peace.
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