The baseball world thought the Cincinnati Reds had traded closer Aroldis Chapman to the Los Angeles Dodgers early Monday, but an alleged domestic violence incident reportedly halted the deal.
According to Tim Brown and Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports, Chapman “allegedly fired eight gunshots in the garage of his Miami-area home following an October argument with his girlfriend in which she told police he ‘choked’ her and pushed her against a wall, according to police reports.”
The argument apparently started when Chapman’s girlfriend found something on his cellphone. More than 12 police officers arrived at his house after the incident allegedly occurred. CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman reported the MLB, the Reds and the Dodgers are “said to have been blindsided” by the allegations.
According to the police report, the closer “told police he used his index and middle fingers and ‘poked his girlfriend on the left shoulder and told her not to talk to him like that,'” per Brown and Passan.
Chapman “admitted to firing eight shots with a handgun, seven of which went into a concrete wall inside his garage and the eighth of which went through a window into an open field.”
No one was arrested following police interviews of multiple people “due to conflicting stories and a lack of cooperation from all parties involved,” according to the report.
Chapman’s attorney, Jay Reisinger, offered a statement: “I’ve reviewed the facts as portrayed. On behalf of Mr. Chapman, we vehemently deny the allegations as stated. Beyond that, we have no further comment at this time.”
Reds President of Baseball Operations Walt Jocketty said any trade with Chapman might take “several weeks,” per the Cincinnati Enquirer‘s C. Trent Rosecrans, who added that a trade with the Dodgers isn’t dead.
ESPN’s Mark Saxon reported that “the fate of the deal is in the hands of MLB, which is investigating the incident under its new domestic violence policy.” ESPN’s Buster Olney said the “Dodgers have the power to walk away” from the potential trade, but noted an MLB source stated the “Dodgers [are] undecided about what to do next.”
Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported that “at least one team” thinks Chapman may have hurt his hand during the incident.
The Boston Red Sox had been interested in acquiring Chapman last month until they learned of the incident, according to Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. The Sox traded for San Diego Padres closer Craig Kimbrel on Nov. 13.
Initial reports had Cincinnati trading Chapman to Los Angeles on Monday, but Brown and Passan reported that “word of the incident held up the deal.” Rosenthal confirmed their report and weighed in:
Major League Baseball will reportedly investigate the incident under its new domestic violence policy. Brown and Passan pointed out that “a violator could be subject to suspension or fine at the discretion of the commissioner” as part of that policy.
Chapman is a fastball specialist who has pitched for the Reds the past six seasons. He is a four-time All-Star with a 2.17 ERA, a 1.02 WHIP and 546 strikeouts over 319 career innings.
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