Anyway, from the USS Mariner
http://ussmariner.com/2009/10/16/about-aroldis-chapman/

Chapman may get a huge paycheck, but realistically, you’re looking at a guy who isn’t going to be MLB-ready from the get-go. I’d put him as a year or so split between double and triple-A at least, just to get the mechanics in order. After that, you’re still hoping that the breaking pitches manage to develop a little more. They have so far, and are fine for how he uses them, but I wouldn’t call them plus pitches, or signature weapons (that would still be the fastball).

Scout wrote:

Take note of the fact that the team passed on a couple of promising pitching prospects it drafted this summer over a difference of a couple of hundred thousand dollars.

Perhaps in the end the organization decided that they weren’t worth the asking price?

Steve Lombardi wrote:

YankCrank wrote:
Honestly, who cares if Cashman breaks the bank on him and he busts?
Like Kei Igawa? Betcha Cashman would care. How many of those can a GM afford on his resume?

How many pitchers have failed in MLB? Nothing wrong with doing a little due diligence. Igawa isn’t the first to fail, nor will he be the last.

Tyler Lyons wants to know about this “Yankees have no budget constraints” thing…if anyone wants to explain it to him…

This notion that the Yankees have infinite resources is nonsense. As Cashman has explained (and no one has ever contradicted his account), he had to persuade the Yankee hierarchy to exceed the budget last winter to sign Tex. In this economy and with attendance at the stadium below what the Yankees expected, it is foolish to believe the team does not operate under real budget constraints. These constraints may be looser than those for other teams, but they exist. Take note of the fact that the team passed on a couple of promising pitching prospects it drafted this summer over a difference of a couple of hundred thousand dollars. A move to sign Chapman would not occur in a vacuum; it would necessarily impact other player moves this winter.

@ Steve Lombardi:

Yanks have the resources to take those chances and get absolutely nothing in return. Why not exploit it before the rules inevitably change?

Steve Lombardi wrote:

YankCrank wrote:
Honestly, who cares if Cashman breaks the bank on him and he busts?
Like Kei Igawa? Betcha Cashman would care. How many of those can a GM afford on his resume?

I don’t know how many of those a GM can afford on his resume, but the franchise certainly can. Taking chances on guys like this and banishing them (like Igawa) is something that ONLY the Yankees have the ability to do.

YankCrank wrote:

Honestly, who cares if Cashman breaks the bank on him and he busts?

Like Kei Igawa? Betcha Cashman would care. How many of those can a GM afford on his resume?

Honestly, who cares if Cashman breaks the bank on him and he busts? It’s well worth the risk and all it costs the Yankees is money.

I still don’t get why taking a risk on International free agents is seen as a bad move for Brian Cashman? Best case scenario the guy is a beast, worst case he’s got the skill set of Drew Henson and all it costs us is money.

We’re not the Oakland A’s here, I encourage Cash to use our resources and take a risk.