After they were said to be confident in acquiring Cincinnati Reds closer Aroldis Chapman on Sunday, the Los Angeles Dodgers reportedly reached an agreement to land the electric left-hander early Monday morning.
Los Angeles was said to only be sending two prospects to Cincinnati in exchange for one of baseball’s premier closers.
Several hours later the Reds were denying any agreement with the Dodgers was in place, and there were rumblings the trade could potentially grow to include more teams.
However, the delay now appears to be related to an October domestic violence incident Chapman was allegedly involved in, according to Tim Brown and Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports:
The Reds have attempted to trade Chapman in recent weeks and were believed to have completed a trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday until word of the incident held up the deal, sources told Yahoo Sports.
Chapman is alleged to have fired gunshots in his garage and gotten physical with his girlfriend:
Cincinnati Reds closer Aroldis Chapman allegedly fired eight gunshots in the garage of his Miami-area home following an October argument with his girlfriend in which she told police he “choked” her and pushed her against a wall, according to police reports obtained by Yahoo Sports. No arrests were made after the incident, in which more than a dozen police officers were dispatched to Chapman’s home in Davie, Fla., around 11 p.m. on Oct. 30.
Chapman’s attorney denied the allegations:
“I’ve reviewed the facts as portrayed,” Jay Reisinger, Chapman’s attorney, told Yahoo Sports on Monday night. “On behalf of Mr. Chapman, we vehemently deny the allegations as stated. Beyond that, we have no further comment at this time.”
Chapman is expected to be investigated by Major League Baseball under the league’s revamped domestic violence policy.
The Reds closer would join Colorado Rockies shortstop Jose Reyes and Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig as players who have been investigated by MLB commissioner Rob Manfred since the new policies were implemented.
Manfred has complete authority to determine the length of punishment for players for “just cause.” Additionally, he can suspend a player with pay while legal proceedings are taking place.
The policy does not explicitly state maximum or minimum penalties that Manfred is permitted to hand down.
Chapman converted 33 saves with a 1.63 ERA, 1.94 FIP, 1.15 WHIP and 116 strikeouts over 66.1 innings (65 appearances). The 27-year-old lefty is eligible for free agency after the 2016 season.
