Aroldis Chapman alleges Yankees disrespect in plainly delusional attack

Remember when Aroldis Chapman escaped the most seat-of-his-pants inning of his career in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series against the Yankees, then proceeded not to factor into Games 2 and 3 whatsoever as the Yanks rallied to eliminate his Red Sox in embarrassing fashion? Bringing that up apropos of nothing.

Chapman left the Yankees after the 2022 season with a tarnished legacy — which is impressive considering how far into the toilet his legacy already was when he arrived. He allowed season-ending home runs in 2019 and 2020. He lost countless games in which he left his command in the bullpen, especially at Fenway Park. He was terrifyingly erratic and untrustworthy. Every moment with him as the Yankees closer felt like a combination of a curse and a catastrophe. His final season in the Bronx ended with his fastball velocity on a downward trajectory, sapping him of his one defining feature.

At the end of the summer, he left the team after suffering an infection during the application of a midseason tattoo. When it came time for the Yankees to put together a playoff roster, they refused to guarantee Chapman a roster spot, so he promptly went home to Miami and left the team. Scott Effross' eventual Tommy John surgery probably would've gotten him onto the club after all, but Chapman had already abandoned his teammates by that point. What a gentleman.

In a recent podcast interview after rediscovering every ounce of his velocity and then some in Boston — probably legitimate! — and claiming he learned about locating his pitches for the first time, thanks to catcher Connor Wong (surely not sandbagging in New York!), Chapman embarrassingly reframed his exit as the Yankees' fault.

Former Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman felt disrespect in New York. Cry me a river.

“No way. Not even dead,” Chapman said when asked if he'd ever return to the Bronx (Eds. Note: Not an option, he just extended with the Red Sox and is nearing 40). “If I were told that I was being traded to New York, I’d pack my things and go home. I’ll retire right on the spot if that happens. I’m not crazy. Never again."

Now, I can't remember real good — is it "disrespectful" to make the best roster decision possible for your October future by refusing to guarantee a spot to your 4.46 ERA "closer" with a tattoo infection? Or is that just how business is done, especially when said pitcher has already been responsible for a generation's worth of disappointments?

Chapman has chosen to try again in Boston, and that's dynamite. He has every right to opt into improvements, tweaks, and coaching adjustments in one city after ignoring them at a previous stop. But rest assured that the feeling is mutual; I'd rather die than watch him trudge back to my city, which he disrespected annually with his mere presence.