Cincinnati Reds Sign Aroldis Chapman, but Is It a Huge Mistake?

Aroldis Chapman is going to be a Cincinnati Red!  That's right, a Red.  Not the Red Sox, but the Cincinnati Reds.  Cincinnati sent shock waves through the baseball community when the news broke that they had landed Chapman with a colossal five-year, $30 million deal.  The deal is said to have a player option for 2015, and if Chapman were to opt out, he would be arbitration eligible rather than a free agent. 

Chapman is viewed as a tremendous talent, but will need some work in the minors before seeing any time in the majors.  He has reportedly hit 102 mph on the gun, but comes with some control issues.  A source familiar with the Reds says Cincinnati is already making comparisons to Randy Johnson.  Johnson had some control issues early on in his career, but was able to harness them as he progressed into a Cy Young award winner.  Chapman averaged 5.37 walks per nine innings in Cuba.  

Several teams were also concerned with Chapman's maturity level.  Known in the pros as a player's makeup.  This issue never became a concern for the Reds though.  Some scouting reports project Chapman to be a reliever, but make no mistake about it, the Reds did not pay this kid this kind of money to come trotting in from the bullpen.  They view him as a starter, and at this price I'm guessing they view him as a future ace.  

Cincinnati obviously thought Chapman was worth rolling the dice on.  So that is exactly what they did.  Although Chapman is packed with a ton of talent and potential, he is still a huge gamble for the Reds and GM Walt Jockety at this point.  This signing is a gamble for several reasons.  When you look at the big picture, the Chapman signing is going to have a ripple affect on the Reds organization.  

In November Jockety said he would probably need to slash payroll at the GM meetings.  Well, fast-forward to today.  The $6 million tied up in Chapman most likely means someone is on the way out in Cincinnati.  It's probably going to be a fairly big name too.  Brandon Phillips, Aaron Harang, Bronson Arroyo, and Francisco Cordero are among the highest paid Reds, and have been rumored in trades all offseason.  Look for one or more of these guys to be on the move, and in a different uniform before the start of the season.  Not only is Chapman costing the Reds $6 million a year.  He is also going to cost them a key player or two.  Something Reds fans shouldn't overlook.

It's almost as if the Reds have taken one step forward, and two steps back with the Chapman signing.  This is a franchise that has had its fair share of problems building a solid nucleus of core players.  With Phillips, Votto, Bruce, and Cordero things were starting to look promising in Cincinnati.  Homer Bailey had shown some promise, and so had Edison Volquez and Johnny Cueto.  So now what?  Some of these players have to go.  I just hope for the sake of Cincinnati baseball the kid was worth blowing up a huge part of your team for.  

I'm not saying the Chapman signing was or will be a mistake.  What I am saying is, this kid better be the goods.  He better come to Cincinnati as advertised, and in a year or two he better be a No. 1, shut-it-down ace for the Reds.  If he isn't, this signing has the potential to set the Reds back another 5-10 years, and devastate what was already a struggling franchise.