According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, the Yankees and closer Aroldis Chapman have agreed to a one-year, $11.325 million dollar contract for the 2016 season, avoiding arbitration.
Source: Chapman and #Yankees settle at $11.325M – $275K over midpoint – avoiding arbitration.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) February 12, 2016
The Yankees and Chapman were scheduled to have an arbitration hearing on February 19, but both sides were able to avoid that hearing by reaching an agreement.
Chapman was seeking $13.1 million this offseason, while the Yankees proposed $9 million when salary figures were being exchanged. With the deal, Chapman will be making $275K more than what the midpoint salary of the exchanged figures between the two sides would have been.
General Manager Brian Cashman confirmed the deal, telling reporters that he’d rather always settle arbitration cases mutually instead of having someone else decide the outcome.
The 27-year-old has been regarded as one of the best closers in the sport over the last few seasons. In 2015, Chapman recorded 33 saves with a 1.63 ERA in 65 games. Over his six seasons in the big leagues, the hard-throwing left hander has 146 career saves.
As he prepares for his first season as the Yankees closer, having his contract agreed upon before Spring Training is a good thing for the organization. With pitchers and catchers reporting to camp on February 18, Chapman can now shift his focus to getting ready for the start of the 2016 season.
The Yankees have already confirmed that Chapman will serve as the team’s closer, as the team hopes their “three-headed monster” at the end of the bullpen can help the Yankees compete for another American League East title.
