NewsRed Sox meet with defector Chapman
Cuban lefty drawing interest from 10 big league teams
By Ian Browne / MLB.com
10/29/09 10:08 AM EST
BOSTON -- The Red Sox, always aggressive when it comes to the international market, met with Cuban free-agent pitcher Aroldis Chapman on Wednesday at Fenway Park.Chapman defected back in July during a tournament in The Netherlands. His fastball was clocked at 102 mph during the World Baseball Classic.
"Boston was one of the teams he was interested in from the start, and that certainly hasn't changed," Chapman's agent, Edwin Mejia, told The Boston Globe. "It was a very good visit."
Chapman met with members of Boston's front office and one unspecified player.
The bidding war for the 21-year-old Chapman's services figures to be extensive, as Mejia told The Globe that 10 teams are interested in meeting with the power left-hander. The Yankees are believed to be one of those teams.
In December 2002, the Red Sox and Yankees engaged in a memorable derby to land Cuban right-hander Jose Contreras. The Red Sox thought they had Contreras signed, but the Yankees swooped in at the last minute. Stung at the time by losing out on Contreras, Red Sox president/CEO Larry Lucchino referred to the Yankees as "the evil empire."
Chapman could be the most significant Cuban pitcher to enter the Majors since Contreras, who has notched 71 wins over a seven-year career.
The Red Sox signed another Cuban player -- 19-year-old shortstop Jose Iglesias -- in September. Because Chapman and Iglesias played with each other for many years in Cuba and are friendly, perhaps that can help Boston's chances of landing Chapman.
Ian Browne is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
