Aroldis Chapman has stated that he would love to return to the Bronx, but will his asking price be too high for the Yankees?
According to George A. King III of the New York Post, the Bronx Bombers are not expected to sign Chapman if his market reaches five years and $100M.
Chapman has been expected to land a five-year deal this offseason, which shouldn’t be an issue for the Bronx Bombers. The 29-year-old is still relatively young, and many people projected him to land a four or five year deal this offseason.
However, with the uncertainty of the CBA agreement, the price tag might be the reason the Yankees would shy away from signing the All-Star closer.
With the CBA uncertainty, teams are unsure as to what the luxury-tax will be. The expiring CBA agreement is definitely doing its part to slowing up the free agency process.
Big name stars such as Chapman, Yoenis Cespedes, Edwin Encarnacion and Kenley Jansen are forced to wait for their market to unfold. Teams have held off on setting their offseason budgets until the new CBA agreement passes.
With the new CBA talks, there are rumors that the tax threshold could increase from $189M to $200M. If this increase is made, this would definitely benefit the Bronx Bombers. Â That extra payroll flexibility could benefit the Yankees, especially are serious about bringing Chapman back to the Bronx.
Whether the luxury tax goes up or not, the Yankees still may be hesitant to give Chapman $100M. If the bidding gets close to the $100M range, the Yankees might not be able to win the bidding war for Chapman. If the price tag reaches $100M, expect the Yankees to look for cheaper alternatives to fill their bullpen void.
For the time being, the Yankees are still considered the favorites to sign the hard-throwing left hander. A reunion with Chapman is still very possible, and it will be interesting to see what the Yankees will offer to bring him back.
