Aroldis Chapman

The defected 21-year-old pitcher from Cuba, Aroldis Chapman, threw a bullpen session this morning for about 50 Major League scouts. This is the guy who reportedly reached 102MPH on a radar gun during the WBC this past March. He threw for about 15 minutes today during a closed workout at Baseball USA. No media was allowed, and was an “invitation only” event. He showed the scouts a fastball, changeup, and slider. He was not throwing with his ultimate velocity, but still impressed the scouts. The big question is whether Chapman is ready to pitch in the Majors this upcoming season. I wonder what the ... Read Full Story

From the Baltimore Sun... It seems like Orioles officials are getting more confident that they can complete a deal for Texas Rangers veteran pitcher Kevin Millwood. Conversations have been going on between the Orioles and Rangers throughout the Winter Meetings and a possible scenario has developed in which the O's would send reliever Chris Ray to Texas and pick up most of Millwood's $12 million guarantee for next year. Don't know if it can get done here over the next 24 hours, but it remains a real possibility. If getting Millwood means trading Ray, I'd pull the trigger and do it. Well, I don't ... Read Full Story

The NY Times' Jack Curry points out the risks involved in signing Chapman. When the Cuban pitcher Aroldis Chapman visited Yankee Stadium in October, the Yankees asked his representative if Chapman could throw a bullpen session for them. Edwin Mejia, who has since been replaced as the agent, said Chapman would not at that time. The Yankees, like every other major league team, had barely seen Chapman pitch, so his refusal disappointed them. Mejia mentioned that Chapman wanted a free-agent contract worth $50 million to $60 million. Without getting a chance to extensively evaluate him, the Yankees would not offer a fraction of that ... Read Full Story

Cuban pitcher Aroldis Chapman, who defected in July, has established provisional residency in Andorra. In a statement Monday, Chapman's agent said the pitcher "has been granted provisional passive residency" in the country pending completion of the process. He has sent his residency materials to Major League Baseball so he can be declared a free agent, the statement said. The next step is for the commissioner's office to review Chapman's residency papers. If he is declared a free agent, all 30 big league teams would be notified that Chapman is available for bidding. Chapman pitched twice for Cuba in this year's World Baseball Classic. The ... Read Full Story

The bidding can begin for Cuban pitcher Aroldis Chapman. The 21-year-old pitcher has been declared a free agent by Major League Baseball, allowing teams to start pursuing the hard-throwing lefty. Chapman defected in July during a tournament in the Netherlands and established provisional residency in Andorra, allowing him to bypass the amateur draft. "It has been a dream of mine to pitch in the major leagues," he said in a statement issued Friday by his agent, Edwin Mejia. The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox are expected to push hard to sign him. Chapman played for Cuba in this year's World Baseball Classic. ... Read Full Story