Yankees Rumors: Aroldis Chapman Agrees to New Contract to Stay with NYY

New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman hinted on social media in the wee hours of Sunday morning that he would be returning to the Bronx in 2020.

"New York, I told you I wasn't going anywhere! #goyankees," Chapman wrote on Instagram.

Chapman previously had a pair of $15 million player options for each of the next two seasons. Jeff Passan of ESPN reported the 31-year-old will now be under contract through 2022, as the two sides agreed on a one-year, $18 million extension. MLB Network's Jon Heyman reported "Chapman was trying for [two] extra years but settled for one at a slight raise, right at the deadline."

He previously signed a five-year, $86 million deal with New York as a free agent in December 2016.

Chapman is coming off another outstanding season, which saw him go 3-2 with 37 saves and a 2.21 ERA in 60 appearances. He struck out 85 batters in 57 innings. That performance earned the flame-throwing southpaw his sixth career All-Star selection.

He carried that momentum over into the playoffs, as he registered a 3.38 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP in five appearances while helping the Yankees reach the American League Championship Series.

As good as Chapman was throughout the season, the lasting memory of 2019 for New York will be Chapman surrendering a walk-off home run to Jose Altuve in Game 6 of the ALCS, sending the Houston Astros to the World Series:

That will not be his final pitch as a Yankee.

There had been some uncertainty surrounding Chapman's future in the Bronx for months since Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported in July that a source told him there was a "one million percent" chance the reliever would opt out of his contract.

However, Chapman called Rosenthal's report "completely false," per MLB.com's Bryan Hoch, saying his contract situation had not "even crossed [his] mind at all." He even took to social media to express his commitment to the pinstripes:

Rosenthal's report did not necessarily indicate the closer would sign elsewhere, only that he would be looking for a new deal this offseason. Instead, he has opted not to risk anything in free agency, which has produced underwhelming results in recent years (see Craig Kimbrel and Dallas Keuchel).